Plantar Fasciitis-Old Whip Lash Injuries Lead to Lower Back Pain & Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)
Help with Plantar Fasciitis, Lower Back Pain & RLS-What you can do to help!
Plantar Fasciitis and RLS what you do to get over it, prevent it from coming back!
Do you wake up and have trouble standing and walking to the bathroom due to tension in the arches of your feet? If so, you may be experiencing Plantar Fasciitis.
The thick ligament that connects your heel to toes (the arch of the foot) is the plantar fascia (-itis means inflammation). When this tissue is overly tense, it can cause pain either when you get up in the morning or after sitting for long periods of time. The pain can come on gradually but usually seems to just happen one morning (it can feel like you can't flatten your feet on the floor). Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is related, it is the the nervous system not being able to communicate properly and it goes into hyperdrive.
Few reasons that can contribute to this condition:
Lower back (sacral) misalignment or tension from doing linear motion on a regular basis (walking, running, sitting) causing limited fluid flow to the lower body. This restriction of the lower body, if ‘untreated’ (loosened) can continue to cause other issues around and below your hips. It can include restrictions of the digestive system, knee pain, achilles issues and “Restless Leg Syndrome”.
Clenching and grinding your teeth (misalignment of your skull) can also cause the fascia to tighten in the base of the skull, continuing down the line of the spine tensing the sacral area. This tension and lack of fluid can cause imbalances in the muscles, hip flexors, hamstrings, quadriceps, etc. Tense fascia coming from throughout the body and the plantar fascia being the end of the line is the last area to pull and communicate. Much like a marionette when you pull the strings and the hands and feet start to move. This usually starts with an old whip lash or dental injury going untreated (allowing it to relax after emotional and/or physical stressors or injuries).
Both of these misalignments and restrictions can cause a restriction to the fluid flow in the body which keeps the neurons and blood flow from reaching the area (the proper flow is allowing healing and communication for the area to respond for movement and to be able to relax).
If you have little or no restriction (which is highly unlikely since we all have had slips, trips and falls), then we look at our vitamins and minerals in our body (it can also be a combination and it isn’t one thing that assists us at improving our health). We would look at increasing or adding magnesium (muscle relaxer and needed nutrient). We need our muscles to be relaxed before they can work. We also need sodium (Himalayan or Celtic salt are the best, they have many needed nutrients) to help our neurons with firing, WHEN NEEDED. We don’t want to leave a few of our skeletal muscles at the gym 24/7. They get tired and become stuck in the fight or flight. Our nervous system can get stuck in that pattern.
So, if we have an impingement ( we don’t always feel a pinch, it depends on which nerve, some are silently pinched), or we have low levels of minerals that keep our cells starved, our body will not work as it once did. After all, we’ve had tons of things happen to us, starting with our own birth and that 400 pounds of pressure on our skull and spine!
Remember when labeling a symptom, do not put a stigma to it that it will not improve, this can limit your brain and body from relaxing and making improvements to release and cause more stress and worsening symptoms. Just like arthritis is labeled, it just means artho-joint and itis -swelling. Restless leg syndrome means your legs are restless (nervous system not getting the fluid/nutrients to the area for the area to flow freely).
How we are reinforcing our body’s habit whether it be from restrictions in your body or from not having proper nutrition help with your quality of life overall! It will keep down inflammation that can cause diabetes, heart disease and prevent alzheimers. See our blog on "Sitting is the New Smoking". Getting to the root of the issue and not just using a ball on the symptom will not only last longer but will help you in the long run and can keep it away.
Some solutions-There are many and it will usually take a combination and consistency (one month)
Restorative Yoga Series for our specific series
Happy Baby Pose can greatly improve mobility of your spine and should be done as often as you are having to sit. A few times a day can also be very helpful. If you are not doing a series then it will leave out important areas that are affecting you but we sometimes feel that we need just one pose more than another.
If you add CranioSacral Therapy/Advanced Orthopedic Medical Bodywork your results can drastically improve quicker.
If you feel discomfort with any of these, please do not continue and/or back off of the movement. If your pain does not improve in a few days or gets worse, please seek a physician.
Elevated Sacral Pose
Shoes with less arch support (I prefer Vibram Five Finger shoes) so that you are able to have a 3 point contact (right and left of the ball of the foot and left and right of the heel of your foot) with your foot to the ground rather than a two point (center of the ball of the foot and the heel) which is more of a balancing act for your body. Click here for our blog for more information on our 3 point contact.
CranioSacral therapy If you are in our area (Severna Park, Maryland) you can book a FREE 15 min Zoom Consult or an in person appointment(local only). If you are not local you can can book an online extensive telehealth consult (distance) through this link or you can find a CranioSacral therapist near you by clicking here and looking up “find a therapist”.
If your pain continues to get worse, consult a physician.
Michelle S Krause LMT, CST-T, BCMTB
Owner of Vital Fitness Holistic Center
www.vitalfitnessholisticcenter.com
President of the Severna Park/Baltimore Holistic Chamber of Commerce
www.holisticchamberofcommerce.com
Please follow and like us: https://www.facebook.com/vitalfitnessholisticcenter/
https://www.instagram.com/holisticchamberofcommercespmd/
Warning signs for prevention of plantar fasciitis and RLS (restless leg syndrome)
tightness where your skull and neck meet in the back
tension in your spine (losing range of motion when turning or stretching forward or backward)
tension in the lower back (especially upon going from sitting to standing)
tension down the back of your legs (hamstrings and gastrocnemius)
Could it just be dehydration? Do you know how to get the best hydration? A dry mouth is one of the last signs that you are dehydrated.