Hands and Feet

The Hands and Feet. Why do they have their own special place?

Simple, they are ususally the victims of a more dysfuncitonal hip, core or upper body.

The most common pain trigger is a trauma. Sprained foot, finger or wrist from falls or sports.

So this section will cover some stretches and exercises for the hands and feet spcifically along with some thoughts on how to take care of them.

Plantar Fasciitis

What is it? Well lets consider that the bottom of the foot is exclusive from the rest of the body. It is actually the end of the line for the fascial system and a body part we use all of the time, the foot.

SO to answer what it is, you have to understand it is a functional unit of the foot, ankle, knee and hip. All of these play a roll in creating one of the most painful injuries we can have.

Basic signs and symptoms:

Pain in the heel when you walk - especially in the morning with a first step
Usually you are somewhat painless throughout the day, but towards the end you will begin to have a huge ache even when sitting

Most important part - Treatment!!

You can typically take care of this one on your own, assuming it is a simple case. To figure out the cause or causes you have to take the time to meet with me.

A great one is the Pike hamstring/fascia stretch shown in the video here. Enjoy!!!

Wrist Pain

DO"s:

Hold the stretch for 30-45 seconds
Feel the stretch through the wrist and into your elbow (this is also a great elbow mobility stretch)
Hold to tolerance and your ability
Breath through your stretch

DO NOT's:

Cause PAIN
Force the wrist into a position that is not comfortable
Hold your breath

Low Back Pain with Disc Involvement

Symptoms

Pain, deep in the hip
Pins and needles down the leg, into the calf and/or foot and toes
Numbness in the lower leg, foot and/or toes
Weakness: you can not move your toes, walk on your heels or toes

Causes

As above, when the disc becomes involved at this level there have been micro-traumas to the disc over the years and it is finally weakened enough to bulge, protrude or herniate into the nerve root space

What to do?

Typically this one is an immediate spinal ortho referral, MRI to gauge severity and possible surgery depending on severity. NOT ALL DISC problems are surgical. Quite a few can be handled conservatively.

Sciatica

Symptoms

Pain that radiates from your lower (lumbar) spine to your buttock and down the back of your leg
Usually only one side of the body is affected
Pain in the rear or leg that is worse when sitting
Hip pain
Burning or tingling down the leg
Weakness, numbness, or difficulty moving the leg or foot
A shooting pain that makes it difficult to stand up

Causes

Irritation of the nerve root of the lower lumbar and lumbosacral spine
Muscle spasms in the back or buttock
Sciatic nerve becomes pinched, usually by a herniated disk in your spine or by an overgrowth of bone on your vertebrae.
True Sciatica is generally linked to disc involvement but not usually as intense as far as pain and nerve symptoms (loss of feeling and strength in the lower legs and feet)

Piriformis syndrome

Symptoms

Acute tenderness in the buttocks and sciatica-like pain down the back of the thigh, calf, and foot
Symptoms often become worse after prolonged sitting, walking, or running and may feel better after lying down on the back

Causes

Lumbar herniated disc
Degenerative disc disease
Piriformis muscles runs from your lower spine to the top of your thigh bone. When this muscles presses on your sciatic nerve the pain is caused.