foot pain Archives - Hometown Family Wellness Center

Apr 25 2021

Plantar Fasciitis More Common As Spring Activities Go Into High Gear Warns Freehold Chiropractor

This condition is under diagnosed and overly painful. And it targets everyone, from those who are hard on their feet to professional athletes. We’re talking about plantar fasciitis.

Simply put, plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the tissue in your foot. Toe-curling pain from the condition usually

If you experience foot pain you might have plantar fasciitis — If you have pain on the bottom of your foot you might be experiencing plantar fasciitis

presents in the heel area and worst first thing in the morning when you get out of bed and take that first step. One common cause are shoes that don’t fit properly. Example: Women are 2.5 times more likely to get plantar fasciitis than men due to wearing high heels.¹

The arches in the feet start dropping at around age 5. Shoes are not fitted for each individual. Your feet are not the same, the arches are different heights, yet you are wearing shoes that are built the same. Then the next person who wears the same size buys the same shoes but their arches are not the same as yours and need different support. Walking, running and standing for years with shoes not properly supportive lead to stress on the tissues in your feet.

An estimated 2 million Americans² are treated for plantar fasciitis every year. What that 2 million number doesn’t consider is the millions of people who suffer in pain every year and have no official diagnosis.

Surgery and injections are often prescribed to treat the pain and inflammation. But we offer a safe, drug-free, non-surgical treatment: Soft tissue techniques, gentle adjustments to the foot and ankle, ultrasound therapy and Foot Levelers custom orthotics.

The adjustments with therapy and soft tissue techniques help optimize motion in the joints, break up the scar tissue and reduce inflammation naturally with no dangerous medications or injections.

The Foot Levelers custom orthotics are custom-made specifically for your feet based off a 3D scan. Foot Levelers custom orthotics help treat plantar fasciitis by:

Positioning the foot in a proper position for healing
Supporting all three arches to help distribute pressure on the feet more evenly. (Foot Levelers is the only custom orthotic provider that supports the three arches of the feet.)
Cushioning and protecting the heel from repeated trauma. In In fact, 9% of running injuries in the United States are due to plantar fasciitis.³

From work boots and dress shoes to cleats and running shoes, Foot Levelers makes custom orthotics for all of your shoe types and activities. And when you are at the beach or on the way to the gym, Foot Levelers also makes custom-flip flops! I wear Foot Levelers in all my shoes, have the flip flops as I am a summer beach bum and they all make a world of a difference not only in my feet but my lower back.

Whether you are a weekend warrior or have children getting ready for spring sports, help them reduce the risk of and prevent pain from plantar fasciitis through Foot Levelers custom orthotics.

We include a complimentary foot scan with all our initial exams. If you would like to learn more about how Foot Levelers custom orthotics help treat plantar fasciitis, please give us a call and schedule an appointment.

Contact:

Dr. Russell Brokstein, DC
Hometown Family Wellness Center
9 Broadway, Freehold, NJ
732-780-0044
Chiropractor Freehold | Welcome to Hometown Family Wellness

References

1 – Analysis of Data on the Prevalence and Pharmacologic Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis Pain

2 – Tong, K.B., & Furia, J. (2010). Economic burden of plantar fasciitis treatment in the United States. Physical therapy, 8 (4), 11. 2Fasciitis, P. (2005). Plantar fasciitis: diagnosis and therapeutic considerations. Alternative medicine review, 10(2), 83-93.

3 – Fasciitis, P. (2005). Plantar fasciitis: diagnosis and therapeutic considerations. Alternative medicine review, 10(2), 83-93.

May 11 2020

Foot Orthotics Along with Chiropractic Help Low Back Pain

Foot orthotics along with chiropractic can greatly improve your low back pain. Many times the cause of the imbalances in the spine can be traced down to the feet. If the arches in your feet are dropping, they cannot support the weight of your body. Many times the arches drop starting at age 5. One foot usually has an arch that isn’t as high as the opposite side. When the arch drops, the knee rotates inward, dropping the pelvis on that side resulting in spinal misalignments. Walking with these imbalances is like driving a car with misaligned tires. As

Foot Orthotics and Chiropractic Help with 5 red flags that can lead to back pain

you walk, the mechanics of your gait are altered. If you are standing all day, your posture will not be balanced and can lead to not only low back pain, but neck pain as well. When arches aren’t supported properly, you can develop foot pain, heel pain, plantar fascitis and heel spurs. If you view the picture to the right you will see the 5 Red Flags of pronation signifying foot problems and could benefit from foot orthotics.

Foot orthotics help balance the feet and prevent postural distortions that lead to back pain. Quality orthotics are specifically made for each individual patient as everybody’s feet are different. It’s important to note how your practitioner custom fits you for foot orthotics. In the past, many podiatrists made orthotics by having a patient lie down and making a cast of each foot. The problem with this is you do not get a true sense of what happens to the patient’s arches when they stand and are weight bearing.

Today, many practitioners are using modern technology where a patient stands on a scanner that shows where the arch is dropping and needs the most support. A custom made foot orthotic is made in this manner to provide biomechanical support. This helps to properly stabilize the arch, redistribute your weight, increase shock absorption, decrease pronation and balance the spine. Can you see how this will reduce back pain?

Studies are now showing how foot orthotics benefit in relieving back pain. One study showed that 66 patients who had back pain after a car accident improved more when treated with foot orthotics over the other half of the group that received pain medication and exercise therapy. Read the study: Effects of customized foot orthotics on reported disability and analgesic use in patients with chronic low back pain associated with motor vehicle collisions.

Another study shows that foot orthotics along with chiropractic treatment had additional benefits. Patients that received chiropractic treatment and foot orthotics had better patient outcomes than those patients that just were fitted for orthotics alone. The patients showed better improvement in pain, quality of life, improved function and disability. More info about the study by clicking here: Chiropractic adjustments and orthotics reduced symptoms for standing workers. When chiropractors adjust the spine, foot and knees there is an improvement in motion of the joints, alignment, and decrease in muscle strain which allows for the feet to adapt to the orthotics more quickly. I also find that when patients use foot orthotics it helps support the chiropractic adjustments in balancing the foundation of the feet and preventing pronation that could unstabilize the spine again.

At Hometown Family Wellness Center in Freehold NJ Chiropractor, Dr. Russell Brokstein has been helping patients with lower back pain by adjusting his patients and checking for the 5 red flags of foot pronation that can lead to the back pain. It’s important to find a chiropractor that adjusts ankles, feet and knees and fits patients for foot orthotics that are spinal pelvic stabilizers. Dr. Brokstein keeps up with current research to provide his patients optimal treatment to recover as quickly as possible and once again enjoy their normal daily activities. For more information on Dr. Brokstein and his practice click here.

May 11 2020

Are Your Flat Feet Causing Your Back Pain and Neck Pain?

Do you have flat feet or dropped arches? Do you have plantar fascitis or heel spurs?
Do you know your flat feet can be the cause of your knee pain, hip pain, back pain and even neck pain?
Watch Dr. Russell Brokstein explain how your feet affect the rest of your body and how we can measure your arches to help correct the imbalances.

Our state of the art Foot Leveler’s Kiosk scans your feet to give us 3 indicators of how severe your foot problems are. When you scan your feet, you will receive an instant result showing you the Pronation Stability index and a more in depth report is sent to the doctor also showing Arch Height Difference, Left to Right Imbalance, Orthotic Recommendation and how it all affects your posture:

Flat Feet Can be Assessed — Detailed Report from the Foot Levelers Scan

Custom fitted orthotics are a key component of our treatment plan to help patients get better more quickly and prevent future problems.

If you are in Monmouth County, NJ, feel free to stop by our office to get a complimentary scan of your feet. There is no obligation to purchase orthotics and you don’t need an appointment. You just jump right onto the scanner and within a couple of minutes you get a complete analysis.

If you would like more information on custom fitted orthotics with 3 arch support or find a provider near you click here: Foot Levelers

Our top rated Chiropractor in Freehold NJ has been working with Foot Levelers orthotics for over 15 years. Dr. Brokstein states, “Before bringing a product to my patients, I try them myself first. I not only wear orthotics in all of my shoes and sneakers, but during the summer I wear flip flops quite often and thankfully, Foot Levelers also makes custom fitted orthotics with optimal support based off my scan.”

Orthotics are an additional piece to help correct a patient’s imbalances that are causing the pain. You won’t be disappointed if you try them out and most insurances will pay most of the cost or we have payment plans to make them affordable. Check out our other report by clicking here: Foot Orthotics Along with Chiropractic Help Low Back Pain

May 11 2020

Freehold NJ Chiropractor Reviews Why Protecting Your Feet Protects Your Entire Body

Protecting your feet is an important step in stabilizing your spine, body and health!

Every day you walk or stand on your feet for extended periods, yet you most likely overlook the importance of your feet and the support they receive. Every step you take immediately sends forces to the ankles, calves, knees, and hips that will extend all the way through your spine.

When you exercise with running, jogging and jumping the impact increases significantly. A BBC News article states, “…champion male sprinters can hit the ground with a force that’s around 2.5 times their body weight (most people manage around two times).” Read the entire article: Will we ever… run 100M in under nine seconds?

More injuries are likely with the additional forces placed upon the feet during exercise especially when they are not supported properly. The feet need proper footwear for different activity levels because our feet are the initial point of contact for most exercises.

Lets take a look at some activities:

Running – A great deal of stress is placed on the body every time you stride and the foot makes impact with the ground. Whether you land on the balls of your toes or heel strike first, the impact on your feet while running is increased with the amount and frequency of impact. The entire foot needs to be supported for these different types of gait, providing stability of the 3 ligaments that make up the arch of the foot and the shifting balance of the foot. Proper support will ease the impact you experience that puts pressure on the feet, ankles, knees, hips, other joints and discs in the spine as you add up the miles you jog or run. The correct support in your footwear reduces the stress on the body and soreness you can experience from exercise.

Exercise in the Gym – Many people go to the gym and more are getting into high intensity interval training and crossfit as they are total body workouts. These new crazes hitting the fitness world involve quickly shifting the body, rapid jump movements and pivoting. Your body relies on the feet for optimal balance, stability and posture, especially to ensure correct form and injury prevention. The feet are stressed at many angles from these forms of activity, so your sneakers need to provide stability of your feet. If you are involved in this type of exercise, you have to make sure your sneakers aren’t too soft or cushioned as it won’t provide even support and will reduce the stability you are given.

Not only are your feet different from everybody else in size and structure of the arch but your two feet are different from each other. Then take into account how different your activity level is from every other person, it is important to get the right fit for EVERY situation.

Athletes and weekend warriors can control posture and stability during their workouts by combining the proper footwear with individually designed Stabilizing Orthotics. This not only helps prevent injuries, but optimizes your overall performance.

If you take care of your feet, it will help take care of other parts of your body and help to avoid common exercise injuries. It’s a chain reaction when your feet are not properly supported. View the picture to the right to see what happens when your feet are not balanced. The arches start to drop at just 5 years of age and one side will usually drop more than the other. This is just like driving a car with misaligned wheels: the tires wear out unevenly, the car will most likely pull to one side, parts start wearing out, fuel efficiency drops, expenses to fix and repair damages increase.

Over time, just imagine how much stress is building on all the joints above your feet. Then add the impact of exercise and it exponentially increases, causing the joints to wear down more quickly, degeneration, foot pain, knee pain, hip pain, low back pain and even leads to neck pain.

In our Freehold Chiropractic office, Hometown Family Wellness Center, we utilize chiropractic adjustments of the spine as well as the extremities (ankle, feet, knees and hips) and Foot Leveler’s Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers to help bring your body back to its natural state of alignment. Using state of the art technology, we scan your feet to show you the imbalances of your feet and how severe your risks to injury are due to pronation of the feet, then the scan is used to build your custom fitted pelvic stabilizers. This not only helps support your feet and prevent injuries, but it helps our patients hold their adjustments longer by stabilizing the foundation of the body. Our goal is to correct the underlying cause of your pain and instability as quickly as possible and help prevent future problems down the road. For further information about Freehold NJ Chiropractor, go to www.chiropractorfreehold.com or call our office at 732-780-0044 for a consultation and complimentary foot scan.

May 11 2020

Check Out This Sitting Tip If you Suffer with Swelling and Pain In Your Legs

Do you experience swelling in your legs and feet while sitting all day? Do you have leg and foot pain while sitting at work? We see these problems with many people that sit for many hours at a time at work. If you answer yes, then check out this simple sitting tip!

Many symptoms people experience are from postural or ergonomic problems. By making simple changes you can

Proper Sitting Ergonomics — Make sure your seat is at the proper height to help prevent leg pain

stop the pain and prevent future problems. When your seat is at a proper height, your legs and back should be at 90 degree angles. It’s important to sit up straight. Make sure your computer is at eye level so you aren’t looking up or down. This all helps your from slouching throughout the day. Another bonus tip is to put a small foot rest under your feet.

We hope you found this sitting tip to be helpful. Please share it with others to help them avoid painful and swollen legs.

Our top rated chiropractor in Freehold NJ shares many helpful tips for different conditions you might experience. Make sure to follow our facebook page, click here: Chiropractor in Freehold NJ – Russell Brokstein

Watch out for our next video on 4 simple stretches to loosen your back and neck while sitting.

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