Plantar fasciitis; even President Obama is not immune. Some helpful advice for the president and you too

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Plantar fasciitis; even President Obama is not immune. Some helpful advice for the president and you too

Poor President Obama, not only is the world a problem, as well as the current politics in Washington but now, his right foot is painful in the morning. If you have had plantar fasciitis, you can relate to the president’s pain. What should the president do?

If you are AARP, you would offer this advice which may or may not be helpful, but here goes:

Got Foot Problems? The President Feels Your Pain

President Obama’s latest physical examination found him in excellent health, except for one nagging little pain: no, not his political critics. He has “recurrent plantar fasciitis” of the right foot, says his physician.

The condition (pronounced PLAN-tur fas-e-I-tis) is one of the most common causes of heel pain, typically occurring in adults ages 40 to 60 (the president is 52). It happens when the thick, protective ligament that runs from the heel bone to the base of the toes, called the plantar fascia, develops small tears and becomes inflamed due to repeated stress.

The condition is particularly common in runners, but it’s also sidelined many stars in pro basketball — a sport the president also loves to play. “Basketball heel,” as foot surgeon Neal Blitz calls it in his Huffington Post column, has benched everyone from Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks to Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat.

Nonathletes can develop the condition, too, Blitz notes. Obesity, flat feet, tight Achilles tendons, or shoes with poor arch support and thin soles can contribute to the condition, as can jobs that involve long hours spent standing on hard floors, says the Mayo Clinic.

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While this advice may be helpful to some, it also helps to know that the hips and the pelvis as well as the legs are always involved, since your body style will certainly leave you predisposed to developing the problem. Other helpful advice is the following.

1. Find a good sports chiropractor; your feet are just the symptom. Get a good evaluation and experience the benefits of manipulation of the spine and extremities.

2. Graston Technique can work wonders for chronic calf and leg tightness which is from slamming your heels in the ground, a common sign you are likely to develop the condition.

3. Avoid overtraining your core muscles if your hips are distorted. A good sign of this is a lack of stability in the way you stand, especially when standing on one leg. This means the core muscles are working improperly.

4. Find someone who specializes in Myofascial Release Treatment. This is an effective way of loosening up the myofascial which is the connective tissue that surrounds the muscles of the spine and extremities and controls movement.

5. Get inserts in your shoes and wear sandals during the summer that have arches. If you are built asymmetrically (most plantar fasciitis sufferers are) and have low arches, flat feet or feet that turn out and make you bow-legged, you are likely to have a heavier heel strike which will cause plantar fasciitis.

While President Obama has a great medical team, does he have a good chiropractor?