One of the most frequent questions we get asked as Osteopaths is “do you only treat back pain?”\u00a0 The answer to this is a resounding no. We treat all parts of the body, from the hands to the feet.\u00a0 Anyone who has been to an osteopath will know that they assess and treat more than just the part of the body that is in pain. Osteopaths assess your posture, your gait, and other parts of your body.\u00a0When it comes to injuries of the foot and ankle area, this is especially important as problems here can cause you to move differently. An example would be limping. Given time, these changes can be adopted and become long term traits. Getting on top of a foot injury sooner than later is important. Let's look a how osteopathic treatment for the foot works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each foot is made up of 26 bones and 33 individual joints. It\u2019s the foundation of every single movement we do when standing. The dozens of muscles and ligaments in each foot serve to maintain balance and stability through our only contact point to the ground. The feet are not just inert extensions of our lower limbs, they are the vital platform for almost all of our movement, and should be cared for just like any other area when it comes to injury and prevention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following conditions affecting the foot can be effectively treated by your osteopath<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A potentially very painful condition that usually begins as a pulling feeling in the heel or the arch of the foot. This quickly turns into a sharp pain which is often worse in the morning or when initially standing up. It\u2019s a complicated and unique condition that is often misunderstood, and therefore often persists for many months. Fortunately, there are many things we can do to help recover faster and even help prevent plantar fasciitis in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to treat Plantar Fasciitis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best way of treating Plantar Fasciitis is to catch it early. 95% of patients will recover well with conservative treatments that include stretching and strengthening. Depending on what biomechanical issues, issues can be limited to the foot. But problems with the knees or hips can have knock-on effects over time and so these areas should be addressed as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ll likely also need to make some temporary changes to your daily activities to reduce the strain on the foot. At home, icing the sole of the foot can feel great and give some immediate relief. Keep a bottle of water in the freezer and use it to roll the sole of your foot over it for 15-20 minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to Treat Achilles Tendinopathy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ankle sprains and foot sprains are one of the most common types of injuries. Most active people will have rolled their ankle a few times in their lifetime. It can take quite a while to recover. Each sprain will reduce the amount of stability, making it more and more likely that you\u2019ll sprain it again. And this can lead to chronic ankle instability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A serious ankle sprain can overstretch the ligaments and can sometimes stretch the tendons around it. The more they stretch, the less stable your ankle will be. Properly diagnosing and treating an ankle sprain in a timely manner is vital to avoid long term complications, re-sprains, and chronic ankle pain. Your rehab will include a lot of strength and balance work to regain proprioception<\/a> which is absolutely vital for a strong and stable foot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heel pain can have a variety of causes and they all need to be treated specifically. Your pain might have crept up gradually, or might be after an impact or a sprain, but either way, it can be one of the most annoying places to hurt.\u00a0 Possible causes of heel pain include stress fractures, heel spurs, bursitis, or a ruptured fat pad, but by far the 2 most common causes are Achilles Tendinopathy and Plantar Fasciitis<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A trapped nerve can happen in any part of the body. The following are the most common kinds of issues caused by trapped nerves in the foot or ankle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tarsal tunnel syndrome<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this painful condition, the Tibial Nerve<\/a> is compressed and irritated as it goes into the foot.\u00a0 It runs down on the inside ankle, between your ankle bone and another smaller bone, and is held in place by a big ligament \u2013 creating a kind of tunnel that it passes through (hence the name).\u00a0 This nerve can get compressed from injuries, such as sprains or fractures, or it can happen over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plantar nerve entrapment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Morton\u2019s Neuroma<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gout is a pain kind of arthritis that can affect any joints (but usually the big toe).\u00a0 It will come on quite quickly and present itself as swelling, redness and extreme tenderness in the affected area. It occurs when the body has excess uric acid in the blood causing tiny sharp crystals to form in and around joints.\u00a0Usually the body will absorb uric acid naturally, but diets high in red meat, seafood, organ meats, and alcohols such as beer, can increase the uric acid levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other risk factors include obesity, kidney disease, untreated high blood pressure, family history, and being a male age 30-50. Those who are disposed to it can have repeated attacks over the years. Each of which might last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.\u00a0Prevention is much easier than treatment for this condition as it usually relies on anti-inflammatories and allowing the uric acid crystals enough time to be re-absorbed by the body.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It should go without saying that the most important element to treating the foot and ankle is getting the right diagnosis!\u00a0 Most conditions have very specific needs when it comes to recovery, but there are a number of things that an osteopath<\/a> will usually consider regardless of the type of injury:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most frequent questions we get asked as Osteopaths is “do you only treat back pain?”\u00a0 The answer to this is a resounding no. We treat all parts of the body, from the hands to the feet.\u00a0 Anyone who has been to an osteopath will know that they assess and treat more than […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3944,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","ub_ctt_via":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[3,57],"tags":[],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Jamie Butcher","author_link":"https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/author\/jamie\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury-300x200.jpg","featured_image_src":"https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Jamie Butcher","author_link":"https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/author\/jamie\/"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury.jpg",1200,800,false],"featured-75":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury-75x75.jpg",75,75,true],"featured-150":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"img-1-column":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury-695x365.jpg",695,365,true],"img-2-columns":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury-528x285.jpg",528,285,true],"img-3-columns":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury-345x185.jpg",345,185,true],"img-4-columns":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury-252x145.jpg",252,145,true],"box-slider":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury-1080x550.jpg",1080,550,true],"full-width":["https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/osteopath-assessing-a-food-injury-1200x550.jpg",1200,550,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Jamie Butcher","author_link":"https:\/\/metamed.co.nz\/author\/jamie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"One of the most frequent questions we get asked as Osteopaths is “do you only treat back pain?”\u00a0 The answer to this is a resounding no. We treat all parts of the body, from the hands to the feet.\u00a0 Anyone who has been to an osteopath will know that they assess and treat more than…","yoast_head":"\n