Over my many years in practice, I've had the opportunity to work with patients that have been previously diagnosed with plantar fasciitis or a neuroma. Frustrated by ineffective treatments, they are usually living with a daily dose of an analgesic. I have found this problem particularly easy and wish to share some secrets with you.
The best way to get relief from this problem is to take an integrated approach. Since the area is normally inflamed, I recommend decreasing inflammatory foods and increasing Omega 3's in one's diet. The common culprits of inflammation are: grains (including corn, rice and pasta), beans, potato chips, trans fats, dairy and coffee. It is not unusual in the American diet to eat 4 to 6 servings of grains per day, so cutting back your grain intake is a great start.
Foods that will help decrease inflammation fall in the Omega-3 category and include: olives and olive oil, vegetables (but green, leafy are best), avocados, certain nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans), fish and grass-fed meats (cold water fish is best), and eggs rich in Omega 3's (from free-range hens, not grain fed). Many people choose to supplement with Omega 3's either with Fish Oil, Hemp seeds or Hemp Oil, or Ground Flaxseeds. Ginger, tumeric and arnica are other favorites of mine to decrease inflammation.
In my experience, the primary cause of foot problems are fixations of joints of the bones of the foot (tarsals and metatarsals). When you consider the number of hours that are spent on your feet combined with old injuries, poor shoes and inadequate arches, it's very likely that these joints are not moving properly or are fixated. Getting the joints to move properly through chiropractic adjustments can help immediately. The adjustments can be done through a hands-on approach or with instrument adjusting. It just depends on your chiropractor's preference. Fixated joints of the feet left untreated, might lead to knee, hip and/or low back problems.
After I've adjusted the feet and ankles I will frequently do some soft tissue massage starting at the bottom of the heel and move my thumbs to the base of the toes. When I find a spot that is tight (and usually tender), I'll spend some time working to release the tight area of the muscle.
Teaching foot self-care is important too. I'll demonstrate how to increase the space between the toes and metatarsals, massaging the foot, and an exercise to strengthen the arches of the feet. I've learned these self care measures from two of my yoga teachers, and while it might be uncomfortable when you first start doing these, over time you'll love how your feet feel.
Orthotics are great for someone whose feet pronate (fallen arches), have a very low arch or a very high arch. While you can learn to create better arches in your feet with Anusara yoga, (and I do recommend that), it can take some time. Having your feet supported in the meantime with custom orthotics is a fantastic measure, particularly if you like to participate in activities that are hard on the feet, such as hiking, skiing, playing tennis (or other sports), and walking on concrete.
This it the approach I've used over the years to effectively help my patients who have come to me with these type of problems.
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