12/10/2020
COVID-19 and Painful Feet
Dear ZFEET INC community,
We now commonly hear…”They want to keep me locked down and I can’t come out of my room much. Now my whole body hurts, especially my feet.”
The downside of “Lockdowns” includes increased musculoskeletal pain. This decreased physical activity leads to malnourishment of joints, ligaments and tendons, not to mention the weakened muscles. All this can lead to feeling pains that you once did not have. Worse yet, this pain leads to lessened activity further compounding the problems.
With decreased activity, in the lower extremity, including the back, pain comes on quicker than usual as joints are not as mobile. Ligaments get increased stretch on them-firing off pain signals. Tendons and muscles can swell as they are weakened as they are overloaded.
Our body’s structures have what is called a “Load Capacity”. That is they can undergo only a certain amount of stress, strain, compression and tension. When you overload any of these structures capacity, injury results (Pain). The pain may be simply a general overall overload of many structures. It can also be strain on a single structure, resulting in such things as plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, joint pain and more. The good news is if you start moving again, you can increase your load capacity and thus reduce the likelihood of injury and pain.
So how can you walk away from pain fast? Begin with stretching, putting your joints through motion and do some strengthening exercises. Just start moving more, but don’t overdo it. Start slow and gradually increase. Home physical therapy such as Epson salt soaks and natural topical anti-inflammatories may aid as well.
Importantly, evaluate your footwear. As you are weaker from being less active, your shoes will play an ever-greater role in providing more structural support, keeping you aligned. Shoes do make a difference; we hear it every day. It helps to be proactive and evaluate your current footwear for wear and breakdown of the support and cushioning. With weaker muscles, you may need more support and cushioning with an orthotic device and a more stable shoe. Keep in mind that our bodies are constantly changing, and as you get back to exercising and your body becomes stronger, the type of shoes that you may need at that point may change.
Remember, feet are different from individual to individual, so it is best to be professionally evaluated and fitted for the most ideal shoe and orthotic that best matches your foot type as well as your unique conditions.
So, flatten the pain curve, get the ideal footwear from a professional, start moving, stretching, strengthening slowly, increase gradually and be safe.
David J. Sables, D.P.M., C.Ped
Sim Alli, C.Ped, CFo
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