Foot pain. It interrupts your life, causes referred knee, hip and shoulder pain.

So, what makes the pain go away?

Foot pain, most often Plantar Fasciitis pain, is “very common”. One percent of US adults reported a diagnosis of PF each year. More than 3 million people each year, suffer from this type of pain, and this does not include those who do not seek a doctor’s formal diagnosis. It is also considered “self-treatable”, but it isn’t always that easy. When clients come in with PF, one of the first things I explain is that we won’t just work on their foot. While the pain is most often in the heel or arch, the problem usually isn’t in that location. We work the entire leg from hip to foot, and we work the other leg just as much. We also discuss what you’ve already tried (heel inserts, cortisone injections, stretching, etc) and what else can be done, most commonly changing the type of shoes you wear. The final recommendation I give is massage, obviously. Massage at least once a week for about 6 weeks. After the initial 6 weeks, we reassess and decide if more sessions are needed, if maintenance massage is suggested, or if “as-needed” sessions are warranted. While there are not many guarantees in life, resolution of PF pain is one thing that I confidently say massage will help. Does someone in your life complain about pain in their foot? Have they “tried everything and nothing helps”? Suggest they try one more thing, and schedule an hour massage session. No one deserves to suffer any longer!