Spring has Sprung and I'm Concerned for You...

I am going to drop a truth bomb that you may not like...flip flops are destroying your feet. I see it every year...a couple weeks into the nice weather and BOOM influx of patients with foot pain. I'm not saying don't wear them...I love flip flops and the glorious weather that coincides with them. What I'm saying is you need to ease your way into them. It's not always the material or shape of the flip flop you are standing on (although those two dollar flip flops with the quarter inch of foam are not helping you). It's the fact that your toes have to hold on for dear life that's hurting you (you know, so the shoe doesn't come flying off your foot as your leg swings forward whilst you casually float through your day.) The almost constant gripping of the toes overworks the small intrinsic muscles in the surface of your foot. Overtime, this overuse can cause inflammation resulting in diagnoses like Plantar Fasciitis!

So in order to save yourself from the dreaded Plantar Fasciitis (PF) here are my tips:

1. Ease into those flip flops, don't throw them on for 8 hours the first nice day of Spring

2. To decrease your risk of PF, or if you already have it, stretch your calves! See our YouTube videos for some great stretching ---> copy and paste --> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEIsQHgosg4

3. If you do over do it with your feet, and you have some soreness, freeze a water bottle and then roll your feet back and forth over them for a few short minutes...ahh sweet relief!

If these tips don't provide relief, call your local Physical Therapist for a full assessment!