NSPA's Personal Training Journal PLANTAR FASCIITIS Jack Broderick, CCS, President, Fitness In Today's Times |
| Is your client a pain in the neck, perhaps its because they have a pain in the foot. Specifically, sharp pain caused by inflammation at the base of the heel usually felt first thing in the morning. This inflammation occurs in the connective tissue on the under surface of the foot and is known as the Plantar Aponeurosis. This often, chronically inflamed area is due to poorly fit shoes, improper foot strike, and over training. The problem for personal training clients is that Plantar Fasciitis pain usually diminishes through out the day to the point where aerobic exercise can be preformed with minimal discomfort. The client may also mask their discomfort with over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs and continue to train. Typically the client will continue to exercise until the condition progresses from inflammation to tearing of the Plantar Aponeurosis. Once the injury becomes advanced everyday walking is difficult and aerobic exercise is no longer possible. The personal trainer should ask their client the location of the pain, and whether their pain intensity is greater in the a.m. or p.m. Pain in or around the base of the heel, with greater intensity in the morning, is indicative of Plantar Fasciitis. Personal trainer recommendations are as follows: Be aware that the absence of pain later in the day is usually due to greater circulation combined with the use of over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs. This masks the pain allowing the client to continue to train until a debilitating injury occurs. Evaluate your client's foot strike during both walking and aerobic exercise. If your client is a Pronator (walks on the inside of their foot) then they are more likely to develop Plantar Fasciitis. Educate the client on dorsiflexion of the foot to encourage proper heel-to-toe patterns for repetitive motion, and self-observation of heal wear patterns on street shoes, which indicate over-pronation. Recommend anti-pronation shoes, sports insoles with moderate arch support and street shoes with a relaxed heel box. Suggest non-weight aerobic activities such as recumbent bike, rowing, swimming...combined with ice massage, gentle stretching, and repetitive toe curls - a foot crawl where the toes pull the fott forward with a crab like motion. Remember, Plantar Fasciitis is often caused by the wearing of poor fitting street shoes combined with an inappropriate walking gait. When the client starts to exercise aerobically their training exacerbates an already underlying condition. The new training program is then blamed as the problem source. ############### This article is worth 2 CEC Credits. Each credit cost is $10.00 for a total of $20.00 for this article. All major credit cards accepted. CLICK BELOW FOR QUESTION SHEET ABOUT THIS ARTICLE - You will be required to login to register and complete the test questions and provide payment. You will be sent via email your Certificate of Completion.
|
