Waking up in the morning is hard enough.  It becomes even harder when you have pain with putting your feet down.  Morning pain or first step pain is usually an indicator of plantar fasciitis.  I am going to briefly describe why we get it and what we can do to relieve it.

When we sleep at night our foot and ankle are in a plantar flexed position.  This means our foot is bending forwards as well as our ankle.  Positioning like this creates soft tissue relaxation.  Specifically our Achilles tendon and plantar fascia have decreased tension on them.  This allows tightening of our tissues and as we sleep the inflammation from the previous day settles in.  Then as we place our foot on the ground to step out of bed we stretch and place load on the plantar fascia and the Achilles tendon.  This causes pain and discomfort immediately and leads to a cycle of inflammation.  There are a few tricks you can do to help this.

Morning pain can be alleviated and here are a few ideas to help;

1.     Before you get out of bed, write the alphabet with your toes.  This will help loosen up your tissue and stimulate blood supply and lubrication of those tendons and fascia.

2.     Stretch, start with stretching in bed work on your posterior chain.  It can be quite helpful to stretch your Achilles and your fascia.

I do think it is important to seek a physician before starting any of these options.  It is essential to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.  If you are having heel pain I can help. If you are experiencing foot or ankle pain, give us a call at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online today. 

Sincerely,

Dr Brandon Nelson

Heel pain can be very frustrating for anybody.  We often hear of symptoms ranging from burning and tingling to a bruised sensation in the heel.  The timing of the pain is typically after exercise or when first getting out of bed.  The length of symptoms have existed seem to be months to years.  Often there is no underlying injury and causes can vary by age but is more common in adults. 

Heel pain is a common symptom of many pathologies.   The most common being plantar fasciitis.  This is a condition where a band of support tissue on the bottom of the foot is inflamed.  It can become fatigued when overused.  The most common cause in children is inflammation of a growth plate.  This is often seen around sporting events or as children go through a rapid growth spurt.  Regardless, both have many options available for treatment.

Treatment always begins with an x-ray.  The x-ray is important to help rule out other causes and establish a diagnosis.  Once a diagnosis is established we can begin to find causes and contributing factors.  It is essential to identify things that may be potentiating the pain and dysfunction.  Then a treatment plan can be established that will help to mitigate symptoms and work on recovery. 

Recovery can be challenging as there may need to be a change in activities.  I often see a correlation with the amount of time the patient has had the pathology with the recovery length.  The longer a patient has had the issue the longer it can take to recover.  The most important factor is to see a physician that specializes in your problem so you can get the correct plan to heal.  If you have heel pain I can help please call  us at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online today.

Sincerely,

Dr. Brandon Nelson

Heel pain can be very challenging no matter when it occurs.  It can be common in the morning or after exercise.  There are many causes of heel pain and the most common is plantar fasciitis.  Plantar Fasciitis is a condition in which the plantar fascia in your foot becomes inflamed. 

An inflamed plantar fascia is often characterized by burning or a bruised type sensation one's heel.  Many patients describe the fact they feel like they are walking on a marble or pebble.  This can get worse as time and activity levels go on and can become quite debilitating.  This can be brought on by many causes but most notable is overuse.

Overuse is by far the most common cause.  Patients often relate the start of a new exercise program or a new activity.  This new activity can put new stresses on your fascia which ultimately leads to inflammation and pain.  It is always best to ease into activities as this can help minimize fascial pain.  Another key characteristic of facial pain is morning stiffness or irritation.

Morning pain is a hallmark of fasciitis.  This is very common and one of the most challenging parts of having plantar fasciitis.  This is often because when you sleep and then step down on your foot your fascia instantly becomes irritated.  This can be extremely difficult to get rid of and often sticks around for months.  This is when it is time to make an appointment with a heel pain specialist.  I have been treating heel pain for 15 years and can help you get rid of it quickly.  Give us a call today at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online today. 

Sincerely,

Dr Brandon Nelson

Getting out of bed in the morning and having foot pain has to be one of the worst ways to start your day.  There was a period of time where I have suffered from this condition and found it extremely frustrating in the morning and disheartening to start that way.

There are many different causes of morning foot pain and the most common cause can be a tight Achilles tendon.  I cannot stress the importance of stretching your Achilles tendon throughout the day whether or not it’s on stairs or against a wall.  The Achilles tendon is the most overused tendon in the human body and very rarely has time to rest.  Therefore it is extremely important to maintain flexibility of the Achilles tendon and work on improving ankle range of motion.

To help resolve morning heel pain one can use a belt or theraband to work on ankle range of motion.  I encourage you to use these devices to fully stretch your toes towards your nose and really stretch out the back of the ankle.  Another great exercise is to use your ankle to write the alphabet a few times before getting out of bed.  Additionally getting into slippers or recovery sandals can be successful in alleviating some of the morning pain.

These are just some gentle general recommendations and I encourage anybody with chronic pain evaluated by a physician before therapy.  There are cases where any stretching or activities can cause increased pain or dysfunction.

Sincerely,

Dr. Brandon Nelson

Moring heel pain is extremely painful and can cause quite a disruption to your daily routine. It is not only uncomfortable but also can become emotional upsetting to start one’s day with pain. It is estimated that about 60-70% of adults will experience this at some point in their life and it can last months without treatment.

The pain is one’s heel is usually related to inflammation of your plantar fascia. Your plantar fascia provides structural support to your foot and is activated when you walk. It runs the entire length of your foot and starts at your heel and continues to your toes.

Treatment of morning pain usually starts with stretching and icing. I recommend using a theraband or a belt to stretch before you get out of bed. Massage is another option and icing can provide help with the inflammation. It is important to consult a physician before beginning your treatment as not all heel pain is plantar fasciitis.

Getting up in the morning is hard enough without adding foot pain. Many patients present to our clinic with morning pain or first step pain that has been present for months. I believe this has to be a very challenging way to start your day and I empathize with anybody that suffers from this. The most common cause of morning pain or first step pain is plantar fasciitis, heel pain or bone spurs. Typically once calf muscle and plantar fascia have a chance to relax with sleeping a contracture occurs. This contracture makes for a tight fascia and heel cord so that when patients steps down after sleeping or after resting that tightness creates pain.

This morning or first step pain can create a cycle of chronic pain making plantar fasciitis hard to treat. I really encourage my patients to do a significant amount of calf and plantar fascia stretching. It is very important for patients to work on overall tightness of your calf and facia, utilizing tools like a foam rolling, calf stretching techniques or a theraband can help. I also encourage early intervention by a foot and ankle physician to avoid chronic fasciitis. Once patients reach a chronic fasciitis state can be extremely challenging and frustrating for both the patient and physician alike. At Issaquah Foot and Ankle Specialists, we pride ourselves on utilizing the most advanced treatments available to cure plantar fasciitis once and for all. If you’re suffering from morning pain or plantar fasciitis, give us a call at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online today.