Friday, May 4, 2007

Heel pain exercise, relief and steel toe shoe recommendation

Being in the business of supplying our safety footwear product, OSHATOES, to customers throughout the US and Canada, I often hear from our customers that many have been suffering from a variety of foot ailments that makes it virtually impossible for them to wear steel toe boots, and therefore they find us as the best alternative to steel toe boots or shoes. Our product is worn over the shoe, providing the same steel toe protection as the boots, but is much lighter and easier to wear.

But as good as our OSHATOES product is, there may be an easier and completely free way to ease your heel pain, if that is in fact what you may be suffering from as a foot ailment. I myself suffered horribly with heel pain several years ago, and found that it was unbelievably difficult to get out of bed in the morning and hobble about, using every chair back, railing or whatever, to try to take weight off my feet and lessen the pain of walking to begin my day. And it didn't get much better than that as the day progressed, and usually worse. By noontime, I was exhausted, just from the pain. Those of you who suffer from this heel pain know of what I'm talking about, it is truly a nightmare to experience.

I went to the foot doctor, who promptly injected cortisone into the heel, an experience that will bring a tear to the eye of even the most hardy among us. Ouch, in spades. Then, with bandages, booties for the shower, and now an overstuffed shoe, I was off.
The problem was, when the cortisone wore off in about a week or so, the heel pain was back, same as before…. same problem… same pain.

But, while on a plane one day I was reading an article in the on-board magazine that showed a very simple exercise to do to conquer this heel pain, and this is what I would like to share with you. I am not a doctor, and therefore can only render to you my own personal experience and success with this exercise. It is a suggestion, not a prescription.

The primary cause of heel pain appears to be a loss of elasticity in the Achilles tendon. As we get older, it loses its elasticity, 'shortens', and because of this can be the root cause for heel pain, plantar fasciitis or other painful foot conditions.
The exercise I'm about to suggest is one that will help you to stretch your Achilles tendon, and therefore hopefully restore the elasticity you may have lost, and subsequently improve your overall foot wellness.

To do this exercise, stand on a stair with the balls of your feet, letting your heels hang out into space. Now, gently lower your heels below the level of the stair and hold it there for several seconds. Then, raise your heels to rest for a moment, and lower them again, this time slightly farther down, and for a slightly longer time. Repeat several times a day, each time increasing the duration.

In my own case, I noticed a distinct difference within minutes, and had complete relief from heel pain within a few days. This may or may not work for you, but to try it, you have everything to gain and virtually nothing to lose.

Good luck, and I hope this simple exercise brings relief to you if you are suffering from heel pain.

RPHooker
www.OSHATOES.com