Stiletto Lovers – Preventing Post-Stiletto Plantar Fasciitis
August 2, 2009 by cinder
Filed under Fit Feet for Shuz
Fit Feet for shuz - Preventing Post-Stiletto Plantar Fasciitis
by Dr. Emily Splichal
"Fit Feet for shuz"
Greetings Stiletto Lovers!
This week’s “Fit Feet for shuz” topic is perfect for those women who start out rocking their heels, but after several hours start wincing in pain. Realizing they have no flats, the only way to avoid the pain is by chanting the mantra “No Pain No Gain! No Pain No Gain!” We are talking about avoiding that stabbing knife-like pain called plantar fasciitis. I will teach you THE best secrets to avoiding plantar fasciitis forever!
When wearing high heels the foot is held in a plantarflexed position with dorsiflexion of the great toe. This dorsiflexion of the great toe actually causes a tightening/shortening of the fascia on the bottom of the foot. This means if you are wearing those sexy stilettos for hours at a time…the plantar fascia remains in this tightened position for hours at a time! When you take off your stilettos and step down on this tight plantar fascia, you cause stress to the fascia leading to inflammation and pain.
For anyone who has ever experienced plantar fasciitis … NOT fun! And can be very painful.
How do you avoid pain in your arches when not wearing stilettos?
You want to do myofascial release every time you wear your heels. All you need is a golf ball, frozen water bottle or special FootSaversTM from Yamunabodyrolling.com. Place the golf ball, water bottle, etc, under your foot starting at your heel and moving out toward the ball of your foot. Hold the golf ball in one area for 30 secs to allow the fascia to release. As you move to the ball of the foot, place the golf ball under the ball of the foot causing your metatarsals to spread and release the distal part of your foot/arch.
Again this should be done everyday! Whether you are wearing high heels everyday or not this release of the plantar fascia is important. I personally step on golf balls every single morning when I am standing in front of my bathroom mirror getting ready.
I’ve been wearing high heels every single day since I moved to NYC (7 years) and have had no problems with my feet, which I strongly believe is because I release my plantar fascia for at least 30 min every day.
More great exercises for preventing post-stiletto arch and foot pain can be found in my DVD Stiletto Recovery – visit www.catwalkconfidence.com
Any questions, please email me!
In Confidence and Sexiness,
Dr. Emily Splichal aka Dr. Legs
