The Most Frustrating Injury for Athletes

Suffer from that sharp pain on the underside of your heel, worst when you first wake up?

That’s one of the most common symptoms of plantar fasciitis, the term for the foot condition that takes place as the band of tissue running from the heel along the arch of the foot becomes inflamed.

Pain from plantar fasciitis can get so intense it forces people to limp when walking, though for many, the pain lessens as the day continues. Even if the pain lessens, the foot condition keeps many athletes – recreational, runners, dancers, and tennis and basketball players – from participating in the activities they enjoy.

Despite being such a prevalent problem, ask an injured athlete what kind of treatment they are undergoing, and the answers range from shock wave therapy to orthotics to surgery! Dr. Amis, a Cincinnati-based Orthopaedic Surgeon with more than 25 years of foot and ankle-specific experience, says it’s all too common for him to have new patients who’ve tried a variety of recommendations for plantar fasciitis provided by another doctor. They visit him since their pain has not been reduced and their underlying problem has not been resolved.

“It’s not unusual for me to see up to 10 new patients a week, many who are hoping to get back on the field or court, because of plantar fasciitis or heel pain,” says Dr. Amis. “I work with them to explain and address the cause of the pain, calf tightness,” he explains.

He explains part of the problem lies in that patients are often seeking treatments such as orthotics or surgery from their doctors, which in turn helps explain the multitude of treatments they are then prescribed. “Unfortunately, there are a number of factors resulting in our current ‘status quo’ treatment we’ve come to accept for foot and heel pain,” explains Amis. “No matter the individual treatment doctors end up prescribing, we need to better educate sufferers on the value a regular calf stretching protocol has, and how that will directly combat the source of the condition in the long-run.”

“It’s hard for some of my patients to believe, but scientific literature has repeatedly shown how regular stretching of the calf is what will eliminate the pain, when done with the right intensity and done the right way,” explained Amis. The One Stretch, the most stable, intuitive, and ultimately functional “calf stretching” device on the market, allows for variable stretching intensity and enables people to treat and prevent the many problems that result from calf tightness regardless of conditioning, age, and coordination.