How will I know if I have plantar fasciitis?

Your heels or the soles of your feet will feel tender either first thing in the morning when you first put your feet on the floor, or after standing on your feet for a while. You may experience sharp pain under the heel or a dull ache underneath the foot. If you sprain your plantar fascia, the bottom of your foot or your heel will be tender whenever you stand or walk.

What causes it?

Plantar fasciitis can be caused by anything that places a strain on the arch of the foot. Common causes are:

• High arches of the foot
• Flat feet
• Over-pronation (your foot rolls inwards too much)
• Standing, walking or running on hard surfaces
• Excessive body weight
• Tight Achilles tendon or tight calf muscles
• Poor-fitting footwear
• Frequent, high intensity exercise such as running.

This ligament often becomes inflamed when heel spurs occur and may be called plantar heel spurs. It is important to try and discover the cause of the fasciitis to prevent it happening again – in particular check the following:

• Check you have ample flexibility in your calf muscles and Achilles tendon – you should be able to take a reasonably large stride backwards to stretch these muscles and not feel tightness when you stretch.
• Check your footprint for over-pronation, flat feet or high arches or check out your running gait (footfall) in a specialist running shop or with a podiatrist. Buy supportive running shoes, and consider orthotics if necessary for your every day shoes to prevent inward rolling and provide extra support.
• Lose weight if you are overweight.
• Avoid standing or running on hard surfaces.

Can I continue to run?

No – the inflammation and injury will just become worse. How can I treat it?

Follow these guidelines initially, and if the pain continues see a physiotherapist or sports therapist for advice and a definite diagnosis.

• Stop running!
• Rest your feet as much as you can – avoid walking or standing for long periods of time.
• Keep off hard surfaces such as concrete pavements.
• Ice your heel or the bottom of your foot to reduce inflammation.
• Wear shoes with good arch support and cushioning.
• Avoid walking around bare foot.
• Consider inserting orthotics in your shoes to provide extra cushioning, support the arch of your foot and remove tension from the Achilles tendon.
• Gently massage the sole of the foot several times daily to release tension in the ligament and increase circulation.
• Perform gentle calf stretches several times a day. You can also stretch the calves by standing on a step, placing the toes of one foot on the edge of the step, and allowing the heel to drop downwards.

To adequately stretch the calf muscles and the Achilles tendon bear these guidelines in mind:

• You should not feel any pain when you stretch
• Ease into each position slowly and stop when you feel a stretch in the muscle or tendon
• Relax into this stretch and hold for 30 seconds
• Now see if you can stretch a little further and hold again.

Exercises for the plantar fascia

Try these exercises to ease plantar fasciitis, particularly first thing in the morning or after being on your feet for a long time. Doing these every day will also help to prevent this condition recurring as they strengthen the foot muscles which support the arch of the foot and increase the flexibility of the plantar fascia.

• Before you get out of bed, flex your foot up and down ten times slowly. Each time you bring the toes up towards you, you will feel a stretch underneath your foot – hold this position for ten seconds.
• Place a rolled towel beneath your foot holding the ends and keeping your leg straight. Pull both ends of the towel towards you, stretching the bottom of the foot and calf muscles. Hold this for 20-30 seconds.
• Whilst seated, roll a tennis ball underneath the arch of your foot. Progress to doing this whilst standing when you can.
• Try picking things up with your toes! This provides a workout for the foot muscles that they don’t often get.

How long will it take to mend?

As with all injuries, this will depend upon the severity of the fasciitis, how long you have had it, and how much remedial exercise you can do to enhance recovery. Plantar fasciitis normally develops over a long period of time, so it usually takes a few weeks or even months to fully heal.

Prevention is better than cure

• Do the exercises above to strengthen and stretch the foot muscles and ligaments.
• Wear shoes with good arch support and cushioning.
• Avoid running or walking long distances on very hard surfaces – run on dirt tracks or tarmac rather than concrete pavements, or at least vary your running terrain.

Although osteoporosis is often found in elite female runners, the cause is actually from low body weight and lack of menstruation, which in turn reduces oestrogen levels and affects the lay down of bone tissue. It is over-training and a poor diet that causes the disease, in conjunction with a very low body weight which affects hormone levels. Running may only be detrimental when osteoporosis has already been caused due to the continued impact or a fall causing a fracture.

Bone density is known to reduce after the menopause due to hormonal changes reducing the amount of bone tissue laid down – women can lose up to 20 per cent of their bone mass within just a few years of finishing the menopause, so regular running is a very positive thing to do for females.

If you can tick any number of the boxes below, you are increasing your risk of osteoporosis, and taking up or continuing running will help to offset any reduction in bone density due to these common lifestyle habits.

Factors that increase the risk of osteoporosis:

• Lack of regular weight-bearing exercise such as running or walking
• Poor calcium or vitamin D intake
• High protein diets
• Very low body weight
• Missed periods or menopause
• Smoking
• Regularly consuming coffee or other caffeinated drinks

Running considerations

• Running will boost your bone density, but you should choose even ground to reduce the risk of a fall.
• Regular running will improve joint stability and muscle strength, decreasing the risk of a fall in everyday life.
• The impact of running will increase bone density in the bones in your lower half of your body, but you should also do weight training to enhance the bone density of your upper body.

Make the most of running to build your bones

You can maximize your bone density by regularly running before and into your 30s, as this is when most bone tissue is laid down, with bone density peaking around age 30. However, running after age 30 will still promote optimal bone density – if you don’t use it, you lose it!

It seems that running will benefit most health conditions and even help to prevent the occurrence of some of them. Just remember these guidelines if you are unsure of your health:

1. Get a pre-run check-up with your doctor before you begin.
2. Get help and advice from a health and fitness coach or personal trainer.
3. Take it easy to begin with.
4. Listen to your body!

How will I know if I have heel spurs?

Heel spurs cause tenderness and pain underneath or at the back of the heel.

What causes it?

Inflammation may be caused by over-tight muscles or tendons, poor footwear or unbalanced footfall.

Image Courtesy: MendMeShop

Can I continue to run?

Running is not recommended – it is likely to be painful and the inflammation and injury will become worse.

How can I treat it?

You need to reduce the inflammation and prevent it happening again. Follow these steps to get back running:

1. Stop running if you feel pain or discomfort – this is a sign that you are doing more damage.

2. Ice the inflamed or painful area regularly.

3. For heel spurs underneath the heel, you may need to wear more cushioned everyday shoes or keep your weight off your feet as much as possible. Orthotic inserts can help to take the pressure off the heel and remove stress from a specific tendon or area of the foot to provide relief whilst the inflammation dies down and the tissues repair themselves.

4. For inflammation in the Achilles tendon it may be painful to wear flat shoes (which can stretch the tendon), so shoes with a slight heel which shorten the length of the tendon or inserts to lift your heel may help in the short term. However, if the tendon is short, this is a likely cause of the inflammation, and you need to gently stretch the calf muscles to increase the resting length of the Achilles tendon.

5. Cortisone injections into the inflamed area may be suggested by your doctor or sports injury specialist in acute cases. Although this will reduce the inflammation, avoid running through the injury just because the pain or inflammation has been temporarily reduced (unless you have a race or event you have to take part in). A sports therapist or physiotherapist will assess the cause of the injury and provide advice on how to prevent it re-occurring.

6. You may need a new pair of running shoes with additional support or cushioning.

How long will it take to mend?

Heel spurs may cause no symptoms at all, but if you are experiencing discomfort, try to remedy the cause and reduce the inflammation – the sooner you do this, the sooner you can get back out there! As with most injuries, recovery time will depend upon how bad the inflammation is. You may be able to continue with a lower intensity running program with orthotics reducing the stress whilst you remedy the cause.

Prevention is better than cure

1. Regularly stretch the calf muscles and Achilles tendon to avoid them becoming over-tight.

2. Buy your running shoes from a specialist running shop to ensure a good fit and support for your foot shape and footfall.

How will I know if I have sprained my ankle ligament?

You will probably be aware of twisting your ankle during a run, but you could incur a small strain without realizing it and just feel some tenderness later on. Your ankle may become swollen and reddened, could be tender to the touch, and the ankle joint will feel unsupportive or wobbly.

Image Courtesy: premierptny.com

A partial tear means that the ligament is still attached across the ankle joint and continues to provide some stability; a complete tear through a ligament will provide no stability for the ankle joint. Although the amount of pain may not directly relate to the ligament damage, a complete ligament tear will generally be more painful when the foot is moved than a partial tear. If you have a bad ankle sprain, you may need an X-ray to evaluate the damage as ligaments attached to bone sometimes pull a piece of bone away as they tear.

What causes it?

An ankle sprain is usually caused by sudden movements, changes in direction or uneven ground tipping the foot over. A previous sprain may weaken the ankle joint so that it is less supported than normal, and this may cause further ankle sprains.

Can I continue to run?

This will depend on the severity of the sprain – a small sprain may be fine during short runs, as long as the ankle joint isn’t tested by uneven road surfaces and you have plenty of ankle support. However, the last thing you want to do is turn a small sprain into a bigger injury by going over on your ankle whilst the ligaments are weak, so the best advice is to rest it until it is mended.

How can I treat it?

Ankle sprains should be iced and rested, and keeping the foot up can help to reduce inflammation and swelling. An elastic bandage can also help to reduce inflammation through compression around the injured area. Depending on the severity of the sprain, you may need to stay off your feet for a day or two. If your sprain is any worse than this, an X-ray, crutches, a plaster cast or surgery may be required.

Remember that ligaments support joints, and if your ankle ligament has been partially torn, it will be unable to provide full support for your ankle joint. For a few days after a sprain, consider wearing a support bandage around the ankle, avoid high impact activities such as running, and be careful of uneven terrain. Wearing a pair of hiking boots or trainers with ankle support may be helpful until the ligament mends.

How long will it take to mend?

This will depend upon whether you suffer a partial or complete tear of the ankle ligament. Partial tears may take from a few days to weeks to heal, but for complete tears requiring plaster casts, you’d better hang up your running shoes for a while…

Prevention is better than cure

Although wearing ankle supports such as a neoprene bandage can help to stabilize the ankle joint, the best thing to do is strengthen the muscles and ligaments around the ankle as follows:

• Although running off-road on uneven ground can cause a twisted ankle if you don’t watch where your feet are going, uneven terrain will help to strengthen the ankle joint. Every time the muscles and ligaments in the foot are ‘tested’ on uneven ground, this works and strengthens the parts of the foot that are responsible for preventing an ankle sprain.
• Invest in a wobble board! Balance training has increased in popularity over the last few years. It is a functional exercise where the muscles, tendons and ligaments are exercised in the same way that they function on a daily basis, making them better at ‘doing their job’. Balance training is also great for strengthening core muscles (abdominal and lower back muscles) and stabilizing muscles which are often weak and contribute to poor running form and injuries.

DIY podiatry with the wet footprint test

To find out what your footfall is, wet your feet and make a few wet footprints on the floor where you can clearly see the outline of your footprint.

• A full footprint means you are over-pronating (rolling in too much).

• A lack of footprint in the middle means you are supinating or under-pronating (not rolling in enough).

• A footprint with a narrow band on the outside of the footprint joining the forefoot to the heels indicates a neutral (normal) footfall.

Analyzing your foot strike

If the inside edge of your shoes wear out, this is an indication that you over-pronate when you walk or run. Excessive pronation causes the ankle and leg to twist and can lead to injuries such as shin splints. If the outside edge of your shoes wear out, this is an indication that you supinate or under-pronate when you walk or run. This reduces the amount of shock absorbed through your feet when you run.

How does this affect my running?

Your footfall affects two things:

• Your running gait.
• The type of running shoe that will suit you best.

If you don’t know what your footfall is, an assistant at a specialist running shop may be able to tell you by either looking at your existing shoes or watching your walking or running gait, and will be able to help you choose the best type of running shoes.

Our feet should naturally roll inwards as our foot hits the ground, allowing the middle of the foot to absorb some of the impact. If you don’t roll in far enough (under-pronate), or roll in too far (over-pronate), running shoes or orthotics can help to correct your footfall.

We all have our own way of running, although if you have not ran since being at school you may feel like you need to learn to run all over again! Your running form is important, as poor form can not only add minutes to your run time, but poor technique is the main cause of running injuries, particularly those caused through repetitive strain injuries. Incorrect footfall and poor body alignment are the most common things to affect good running form or technique, so spending time checking how you run is worthwhile.

Correcting footfall

Over the counter orthotics from specialist running shops can help – slip them into your running shoe and check for a more normal footprint to test them out. Alternatively, have your gait analyzed by a podiatrist and have individual, custom-made orthotics. These cost more but are made to fit your feet.

Mind Your Outfits

An important myth to look taller than you are resides in the selection of the kind of dress you put on. It’ll be quite astonishing for you to look what a huge difference it makes by a little attire change. Below is some useful information to take into account:

• Choose a monochromatic palette for your clothes

When wearing one color family from top to bottom, the on-lookers get a tall impression of you.

• Pick Clothing that doesn’t divide your body into blocks

Lengthy attires, esp. skirt worn beneath will cast a taller look. In case of men, trousers with a thin belt of matching color will do the best part.

• Put On Minis

The greater part of leg shown, the greater will it reveal the lower part of your body. Choose the kind of skirts or shorts that don’t happen to cover your knees altogether. Opt pantyhose, provided you consider it important to put on, that proper matches the color of your skirts, pants or shoes.

• Prefer Vertical Patterns Over Horizontal Ones

While going for stripes in your dress, always choose for the vertical ones if you consider yourself short-statured.

• Reveal Your Arms

Putting on sleeveless shirts plays a part to help you enhance your taller look.

• Avoid Wearing Broad Belts

In addition to dividing your body, wide belts happen to cast horizontal look and consequently you look shorter than you are.

• Avoid Wearing Calf-length Clothes

Dresses which happen to cut off looker’s eye at a mid-limb or an odd point, such as calf-length skirts or Capri-pants, give you a short look.

• Prefer V-neck shirts to rounded ones

These impart a relatively raised look to your neck area.

• Give attention to wearing accessories

Fabricate your attire with long necks and hanging ornamentation. Wearing scarves across your neck, particularly those with vertical edges that hang about will also add to your height factor. Some accessories also add to your physical height such as hats; do put on them as per situation. You may choose a windswept hair style.

• Stay loose

Loose outfits that don’t taper are best for they don’t reveal any flabby zones. Don’t button your jacket or cardigan; it makes you bulging out. Don’t you even wear extreme baggy pants; they overcome your short stature.

Don Over High Heels

The height of your heels contributes significantly to your overall height. The ready-made quick solution available to the women is simply wearing high heels. Go for high heels than wearing flat shoes. High heels can, no doubt, add a couple of inches to your height. Moreover, they help to cast a smart look of you, particularly when it comes to legs.

An interesting fact about heels is that they come in a variety of colors, so you have the option of matching with your dress. For instance, stilettos will do, nevertheless you may find them cozy. You can also choose square heels or slacked slides.

Issue Of Posture

It’s something most people are ignorant about. For example, many people happen to slouch while they walk or sit down because it’s convenient for them. You ought to assume rectified posture than slouching. A straight posture maintains your height. Also to straighten the irregular folding of your clothes, you ought to sit up straight to cast a tall and smarter look. Keep your back straight while walking. This will induce a taller and confident look in you.

Shed Off Extra Calories

Smart objects always cast towering looks. Overtly grown flesh casts a protruding, shorter look. So losing weight is important. Thin body produces a lankier image of your body. Follow a dieting plan and take in healthy snacks. Stretching workouts such as in yoga will elongate your muscles.

Being short-statured is being vulnerable to inferiority complex when it comes to height. So, your best bet is to follow above-cited smart solutions plan for raising your height.

Purification

Prior to getting Reikic therapy, you ought to make up your mind both physically and emotionally.

Preparing Your Body

• Avoid any poultry, fish or meat. The ingredients of these food items help you perform at a low pace and introduce disturbance in your homeostasis.
• An access of water / juices’ intake is prescribed. This will detoxify your body.
• Avoid alcoholic intakes a couple of days prior to Reikic attunement.
• Avoid drinking coffee or any caffeinated drinks. Coffee may induce dehydration, producing more disturbance, particularly on your endocrine or nervous system.
• Avoid sweet edibles.
• Do your best to avoid smoking.
• Light workouts, such as a couple of miles walk daily are recommended.

Emotional Harmony

• Daily meditation is required.
• Try to develop a meaningful view of the objects around you.
• Unleash negative energies. Prevent yourself from nurturing anger, hatred, jealousy or worries in your mind and heart.
• Trace out emotional problems lying deep down in your mental recesses, try to resolve them.
• Don’t always excessively blame yourself, rather try to chastise yourself viz-e-viz acknowledge your shortcomings.

Reiki Attunement

• This phase requires focus. Put off any diversions such as mobiles and make sure to intimate your connections beforehand. It will save you from worrying about people and help you avoid any interference during the process.
• Foundation: Just before taking with the attunement process, make sure to ward off any tense feelings for they inhibit the attunement.
• The energy, “Raiki” will flow from master to the student. Various “Chakras”, viz. crown, heart and palm will liberate and re-arrange.
• The beginners or the novice recipients ought to lie flat or in prone posture.
• The dispenser / practitioner will handle different chakras with certain positions of hands.
• It is at these chakras where the energy exchange takes place.

Facts:

• Reiki procedures can be classified into three stages:

• FIRST STAGE:

It is the orientation stage in which Reiki is introduced with its historical development. Here you learn the techniques on acquiring Reiki energy and its application in physical therapy and relief.

• SECOND STAGE:

This allows you boost everything you underwent practice during the first stage. This will inculcate in you the art of DISTANCE HEALING. It needs relatively raised level of energy. Where the last stage enables you to attain relaxation, this level helps you achieve mental, emotional and spiritual healing.

• THIRD LEVEL:

It makes you ‘Master Reiki’. It’s here that you become adept to dispense Reiki practices yourself.

• Under the normal circumstances just one attunement will be even beneficial.
• The term “Reiki” developed from two words, “Rei” and “Ki”. “Rei” refers to “Spiritual Consciousness” or “Universal”, while “Ki” underlies “Life Force Energy”.
• “Ki” will remain there so long as the idea of life exists.
• The practitioners and learners are supposed to adhere to a range practices to bring about accord and cure.

Reiki forms a certain mode of life. By the time you opt to undergo it, you’re opting to lead a balanced and calm life. To achieve this shade of life, Reiki is the ideal roadmap.

Tips To Avoid Mosquitoes At Domestic Level:

• Have Plants In / Around Your Residence

A range of botanical aroma attracts mosquitoes. Plant vegetation that repels mosquitoes away, such as, daisies, lemon grass, cedar, rosemary, peppermint, catnips and marigolds.

• Install Window And Door Screens

Monitor the condition of your screens. Renovate if any holes are seen.

• Use Mosquito Nets

Although these nets don’t broadcast a cozy look yet at the cost of your life their removal is not desirable.

• Get An Electrical Mosquito Killer

Sometimes when you don’t have time enough to ensure mosquito proofing, it could cost you purchasing an electrical mosquito killer. Among different brands of the device available, zappers and attractant traps are significant. Zappers are not much costly. They can be fixed at any desirable location. Every time a mosquito happens to be trapped by a zapper a buzz is heard. The attractant device is, however, more attractive. All it needs is a propane, attractant and sticky pads. You just need to substitute fresh measure of these contents upon exhaustion every month. These repellents normally need replacement on quarterly basis.

• Clear Your Surrounding Area

See there is no remnant of stagnant water around because they offer favorable environment for mosquito hatching.

• Citronella Candles

The smell produced by these candles serves as a great repellent.

How to Repel Mosquitoes

• No Perfumes

Sweet scents invite mosquitoes. Don’t apply perfumed soaps and ointments.

• Don’t Wear Bright Colored Clothes

They attract insects. Get used to wearing long-sleeved tops and pants or better put on knee-high socks if you’re not comfortable with long pants.

• Apply A Repellent Prior To Moving Out

A range of repellent brands is available over-the-counter. Make sure the brand you are going to purchase does not harm your skin. The repellent can also be formed from natural sources, for instance, you can rub apple cider vinegar or eucalyptus oil. Drop 5 drops of oil in a mug of water and store in a spray bottle.

• Pick A Couple Of Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets

You can put these in your pockets or pin them on your clothes.

Some Useful Information:

• Dengue virus mosquitoes bite during day while those infecting malaria sting at night.
• Tropical regions are relatively more vulnerable to dengue and malaria.
• In addition to sweet odor mosquitoes are also attracted by heat, carbon dioxide and sweat.

Apart from the information cited above, there are still other methods to check mosquito bite; all you need is to go for the one that best suits you in all respects.

Brain workouts are not much tiresome and can be performed by any age group. Certain schools have tried them on their students and witnessed enhancement in mental concentration.

One of the easiest brain workouts aimed at boosting mental motors is called Brain Buttons. Tap your collarbone by applying thumb and forefinger. While tapping you may use your other hand and pat your stomach down through the bellybutton. This simple workout may sound funny but it’ll ensure blood gush to the brain and mobilize the working of the young mind in the class.

The other workout is relatively efficient one; it’s thrilling and yet not much space requiring. Get up and tap your right hand while raising your left knee. Perform the same move with other knee and hand. This exchange of movement harnesses most part of your brain and mentally activates a student in a class.

This couple of workouts helps tune your mind-body interconnectedness. Brain Gym offers a dozen more workouts to boost your mental efficiency. A major academic flaw is letting the students lay behind mostly due to a lack of concentration. Brain workouts culture mental willingness to progress. No one ought to fall back due to an inefficient brain!

Practice just a few simple steps and boost your mental efficiency and retention power!

This so happens in the hour of anxiety and harassment that your body turns stiff, your breathing plummets and quickens while your brain is about to blow.

Breathing workouts for anxiety entail two elements: physiological — taking voluntary control of your breath, mental — control flow of your thoughts. Shift your thoughts from anxiety to controlling your breathing.

Find a place and sit down in calm. In case you can’t sit comfortably, find a place where you can perform breathing workouts in standing capacity.

Just relax and maintain a straight back posture. A convenient way is to inhale deeply for five counts. Now slowly release your breath for five counts. Don’t just hold your breath during breathing. Maintain this pace of breath consecutively for 2-5 minutes.

The alternative approach is to breathe in for five seconds and then let the breath out in five little plosions, each one second. This method focuses more on mental health than physiological benefits. An increased focus on breath allows you to relieve tension.

While you drill breathing workouts for anxiety keep your eyes closed for relaxation. Help yourself to slide into meditation to concentrate on your breathing. This shift in focus will ensure you perfect relaxation.

Many people reflect an increased measure of comfort ability by concentrating on inhalation through their nostrils and exhalation via their oral orifice. The only way out left for you is to practice it. Try using your mouth for each single session of deep breathing and feel the sensation. Next, employ your nose for the intake. Soon you’ll discover how natural and soothing it is for you.

Another physiological benefit of practicing these forms of workouts is the possible boost in oxygenation of blood. It helps your brain get more oxygen, reflect more articulately, and an overall mental calmness.

Breath workouts aiming at mitigating anxiety don’t have to be tiring enough to be fully benefited. Keep away from anxiety and bothersome thoughts by extending some long breaths and pacifying your mind. Certainly, you are going to witness an increased grip over tension at will than ever!