Can Isometric Exercise Help Plantar Heel Pain: What is Best Joint Position?

Anyone who has had tendon pain will tell you it is a frustrating problem to resolve.  Common repetitive use tendon problems include: plantar heel pain; Achilles; patellar (knee) tendon; hamstring tendon; gluteal (buttock pain) tendon; rotator cuff (shoulder) syndrome; and tennis elbow. Tendon problems take a long time to heal. Understanding the continuum of tendon…

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Shoe Soles: Stiff Rocker Bottom Sole versus Flexible Sole “Barefoot”

There are many things to consider when selecting shoes, including comfort, injury and energy expenditure. Arnie Davis a Certified Pedorthotist has coined the term shoes with rocker bottom soles are the proverbial “aspirin” for chronic foot problems. A rocker sole shoe is recommended to help manage a number of painful injuries including: low back pain;…

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Pain on Bottom of Heel: Too Much Big Toe Motion

 Pain on the bottom of the heel (Plantar Heel Pain) is a complex problem with variable diagnoses and explanations. And with variable diagnoses there should be variations in treatment. Unfortunately, the common treatment recommendations do not recognize such variability. For example, the universal suggested treatment for plantar heel pain is calf stretching and stretching of…

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Strengthening Exercises for Intrinsic Foot Muscles

Exercises to strengthen the foot are frequently used to treat injuries to foot, ankle, knee, hip and low back.  Toe curl or toe scrunching exercises is not appropriate for strengthening the muscles intrinsic to the feet. Muscles about the foot and ankle are described as either extrinsic muscles or intrinsic muscles.  Extrinsic foot muscles have…

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