Avoid foot pain by wearing the right shoes

If you have pain on the bottom of your foot, it is probably due to Plantar Fasciitis – I certainly had some after I played Port Royal this week!

According to the web “plantar fascia is a band of fibrous tissue that connects the heel of your foot to the ball of your foot.  Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition caused by excessive wear to the plantar fascia of the foot”.

The pain usually is felt on the underside of the heel, and is often most intense with the first steps of the day.

It is commonly associated with long periods of weight bearing.

Obesity, sudden weight gain, jobs that require a lot of walking on hard surfaces, and inactivity are associated with this condition.

This condition often causes a heel spur to develop, in which case it is the underlying condition, and not the spur itself, which produces the pain. 

The heel spur is the body’s way of responding to this tearing or pulling of the plantar fascia off of the heel.  The body deposits excessive calcium at the attachment of the fascia to the heel thus creating a heel spur.

The main cause of this condition is a collapsing of the arch of the foot, thus creating an excessive amount of tensile stress to the plantar fascia. 

Therefore, most treatments will not be successful for an extended period of time without some form of arch support.

Obesity           

The mainstay of treatment is stretching of the Achilles tendon and the plantar fascia itself.

Applying ice after activity, rest, and proper taping may also be used. To relieve pain and inflammation, the patient can take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen, and should be encouraged to lessen activities which place more pressure on the feet.

Weight loss is highly encouraged if the condition is primarily due to this cause.

Occasionally, changing shoes to more appropriate types, which provide more support can help.  Foot Joy and Adidas have a shoe that provides a great deal of arch support to help prevent plantar fasciitis. 

The midsole of the shoe is controlled by a large stabilizing bridge placed under the arch of the shoe.

The problem often occurs that we wear ill fitting shoes that have too much give, and do not support the foot allowing excessive movement. The sneaker style golf shoe look very athletic but are not really ideal for the large twisting forces experienced during a golf swing.

Damage

I have seen considerable improvement in individual swings with just wearing a much more supportive shoe, never mind the fact that it will cure the various pains experienced in the foot over time.

Once the damage is done it takes some time to get relief, I know this from bitter experience!

My recommendation is to buy a very classical looking shoe with a strong arch support that does not bend excessively.

Remember the shoes are for playing golf and need to have a fairly tight fit and have a strong support.