Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/62711
Wellness By Dr. Eric J. Heit Tamela Thomas, Wellness Manager tamelat@wac.net 206.464.4639 A mile in these shoes Imagine you're striding confidently across a hard smooth surface. In the middle of one of your steps, your foot strikes down on a small stone that happens to be lined up squarely in the center of your heel. Your entire bodyweight comes down on that point. Suddenly, a singular painful I sensation pierces your heel, caus- ing you to move your weight to your other foot as fast as you can. Now imagine you have plantar fasciitis in both feet. For some of us, that's the excruciating reality. Dr. Eric J. Heit of Virginia Mason Medical Center describes plantar fasciitis in this month's Wellness article. He also talks about how it can be treated and offers a measured and prioritized approach for overcoming its pain- ful symptoms. Many of those solutions are now available at the WAC. We're excited to announce that begin- ning this month Virginia Mason will provide podiatry services here in the Wellness Center. After read- ing Heit's article, check page 54 for more information. f you've never suffered a bout of plantar fasciitis, allow me to describe the sensation to you. The plantar fascia is a long ligament that originates at the heel and attaches to the ball of the foot. Its fibers at the heel become contiguous with the insertional fibers of the Achilles tendon. Plantar fasciitis remains the most common problem we see at the Virginia Mason Sports Medicine clinic, and it accounts for the vast majority of bottom-heel pain. Time wounds all heels M Understand your options for treating plantar fasciitis any of us have experienced heel pain. Sometimes it goes away. Sometimes it gets worse. Often, the cause is plantar fasciitis. But what is plantar fasciitis and how can it be treated? Although it has become more well-known of late, plantar fasciitis was described in medical literature as early as 1812, when it was thought to be a complication of tuberculosis. The modern form of this condition was not mentioned again until the early 20th century, when it is believed Dr. William Scholl—yes, that Dr. Scholl— described a condition called "policeman's heel." The cause of plantar fasciitis remains unknown. Complicating matters is that it occurs in adults of all kinds, regardless of age, gender, physical activity, body type and foot type. A DYNAMIC PROBLEM The plantar fascia serves as an arch support or truss for the foot. What we don't know, however, is the role it plays in the dynamic function of the foot. The one consistent finding with plantar fasciitis is that it tends to occur in people who spend most of their day walking, standing or running on hard flat surfaces. 16 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | APRIL 2012