Foot Pain and Physical Therapy

Foot Pain and Physical Therapy Believe it or not but your feet play a very important role in your life. There are many types of foot and leg pains that a person can experience. Here at Physical Therapy Specialists of Idaho we can help with a multitude of foot problems utilizing various proven, evidence-based techniques. Here at PTSI we feel that it is very important to keep your feet in good condition. If you think about how much wear and tear we put on our feet; the beating that our feet take is simply amazing. They are the foundation of our mobility and shouldn’t be ignored; however, people often disregard their feet until there is a problem. Lucky for them we can address many foot issues you could be faced with. Here are a few different foot related issues that physical therapy can help with. Diabetic Neuropathy It is not uncommon for those with diabetes to have issues with their feet and legs. This is why every time a diabetic goes to their physician’s office they are required to remove their shoes and socks. Problems can be due to diabetic neuropathy or even cracking and blistering that doesn’t heal well. A physical therapist will design a wellness program, specific to your needs focused on eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, controlling your blood sugars, exercising regularly, avoiding smoking and limiting your alcohol in order to reduce the likelihood of your neuropathic pain from getting worse while helping to avoid other foot issues that could be affecting your ability to walk properly. Arthritis Often arthritis can affect several joints, including those in the ankles and feet. It can cause pain throughout the day. While the first thing most people want to do is simply get off their feet and rest them, this can actually be one of the worse things to do when you have arthritis. Keeping your body moving when you have arthritis is a must. Performing certain exercises can make a huge difference. Here at PTSI we can customize a program for you to decrease or eliminate your pain, improve your strength, and increase your endurance for activity. Our mission is to get you back on your feet and moving in order to help keep your joints from worsening due to lack of movement. Sciatica Sciatica is pain that radiates down the sciatic nerve often caused by a herniated disc or bone spur. It can be extremely painful, usually on one side making it sometimes difficult to walk and move. “How does sciatica, which is more often thought of a back problem involved with foot pain,” you may ask? Sciatic pain can radiate down the leg toward the feet. It is so intense it can stop a person from walking or impair their ability to walk. Finding the root cause of the pain and giving you the exercises and education to relieve the pain is key. Post-surgical conditions Over the winter many people have had slips and falls that can lead to broken ankles and feet. If you’ve recently had to have your ankle, leg, or foot repaired with surgery we can facilitate your rehabilitation with a personalized therapy plan that targets your specific needs to get you back up and walking. Ankle and foot surgery can have a long recovery time, depending upon what you’ve needed done. We are there for you every step of the way and can begin with light strengthening and take you to the point of standing on your own and moving. These are just a few of the many foot issues we can help with. We are experienced in a variety of foot/ankle problems. You deserve to live without pain. Your feet deserve to be treated with love and kindness because they take a beating every day! If you are experiencing foot, heel, ankle or leg pain or other issues, please contact us today. We have the ability to relieve you of pain and help you get you back to life!