Foot & Ankle Care

Feet are an often neglected body part, we shove them in shoes and take them for granted as we go about our day to day business. But they really are our foundations, supporting and determining the balance and alignment of the rest of our body. Some common conditions that I treat which effect the feet and ankles are:

• Planter faciitis

• Bursitis

• Bunions

• Ankle sprains

• Issues relating to joint hyper mobility

• Achilles Tendonitis

Although the above conditions have different causes and symptoms, that will need a consultation to diagnose, there are some basic management tips which are good for general foot care and may help to enhance your osteopathic treatment at home. The main factors to address are:

• Reduction of any swelling - In the case of acute, painful, hot and swollen conditions: Rest, Ice, Elevation until symptoms improve.

• Increase restricted range of movement - Once any initial swelling has subsided you need to start to increase mobility in the area. Take the foot through its full range on movement - up/down, left/right, circles clockwise then anticlockwise. It is important to start walking as normally as possible as soon as you can weight bear.

• Stretch tight muscles and fascia (connective tissue) in the calves, shin muscles and feet. You may find using tennis or massage ball helpful. Roll your foot or your calf over the ball up and down and left and right ( I have some videos on my Instagram stories as examples) to help relive tension.

• Strengthen muscles - Try to pick up a pencil with your toes! Do some bear foot walking. Try standing with your weight evenly distributed across all four corners of your feet.

• Make sure that your foot-ware isn’t causing any rubbing or compression. It is also a good idea to spend some time at home with out wearing shoes to allow to feet to function without the encasement of a shoe.

  To get a proper consultation and diagnosis please do contact me for a face to face or online zoom appointment.