I've been hiking pretty much all my life. I think it is an awesome sport. I can't believe that I've wasted my precious time going to the gym and working out with all those unfriendly heavy weights all the time. I remember being sore and never wanting to go again. So I took up hiking, which was about 20 years ago. And ever since my first hike, I haven't been able to stop. It feels so fantastic to be outside all the time. Mother nature will immerse you in fresh air and gorgeous sceneries, which will change you forever, and for the best. But you've got to have a decent pair of hiking boots for taking a hike, otherwise you're going to develop foot problems. It happened to me, and I wished I had done things differently when I was just starting out. What Is Plantar Fasciitis?Plantar fasciitis, also known as policeman's heel, is a condition of the foot, whereby the so called plantar fascia has become inflamed and has gotten thicker. The plantar fascia is a tendon that runs across the sole of your foot. It goes all the way down from your heels to your toes, so it is a fairly large tendon. I am sure you can imagine that, if this tendon becomes inflamed, it's going to hurt you big time. Some people think that this is the same as heel spur. But the fact of the matter is that heel spur is something completely different than plantar fasciitis. Heel spur is when you get calcium deposits in your heels. Now don't get me wrong... that's a painful condition as well. But it is not nearly as painful as a nasty case of plantar. While the two of them have nothing to do with each other, they are often seen in tandem. Because, you know... misery loves company. When you have this condition, you will feel sharp pains at the bottom of your feet. Usually right after getting out of bed. But also when you have sat down for an hour or two and you are getting back up again. The sharp pains in the morning and righter after standing up after sitting for a long period of time, are the worst. But once you've contracted this condition, you are basically going to have sore feet all day long. The biggest pain spots for plantar fasciitis are at the heels. You'd think it would be across the whole foot, but that is luckily not the case. But just because the pain is localized to this area, it does not mean it's bearable. Because the worse this condition gets, the more you will want to kill yourself. For that reason, you have to take it seriously. If you do not, then you will suffer the consequences. What Are The Causes Of Plantar Fasciitis?There are many ways that you can get this foot problem. One really good way of getting it, is by becoming (or being) obese. The closer you are to being morbidly obese, the higher your chances are of getting this problem. And if you are living in the US of A like I am, then let's face it... odds are that you are an overweight person. So if you don't care about your vasculatory system and you don't necessarily want to stay diabetes free in your life, then maybe you are of the opinion that your feet are important enough to want to take care of. Well, you can take great care of your feet by managing your weight. If you become too heavy, then you will be constantly placing a burden on your feet, which causes unnecessary amounts of stress for too long at a time. This is really bad for the feet. If you want to stay mobile in your life, then lose some weight for the sake of your feet. But not only can you get plantar fasciitis from being too fat... you can also get it from having to stand up too often and for too long in a row. Let's say that you are a man working in construction. That means you will have to be standing up on your feet pretty much the whole day. And even worse, you will have to be carrying heavy things. This has the same effect on your feet as being fat. Or let's say you are a woman working in a barber shop. That means you'll have to be standing up all day in order to cut your customers' hair. And since you will want to look good, you will probably be doing it on high heels. You know what's a great way of getting an inflamed plantar fascia? Standing around on high heels the whole darn day. You can also get this afflication from engaging in physical activities that place stress on the feet. And let's be honest... just about any physical activity will place stress on your feet, unless you are already in a wheelchair. But whether you are walking, running, climbing mountains, or hiking on a strenuous trail... you are placing quite a burden on your feet. And the longer you hike for, the more stress accumulates in your feet. It quickly starts to become really important that you get good footwear. Then ofcourse there is the heriditary aspect of it all. If your mom and dad have suffered from this condition, then odds are higher than average that you will suffer from it as well. If this affliction is in your family, then you will want to take extra care to make sure that it does not happen to you either. How To Prevent And Cure Plantar Fasciitis?You can prevent (or even cure) this affliction by buying good walking footwear against plantar fasciitis, because you will require plenty of support if you have this. Since plantar usually expresses itself in your heels, you will definitely want to get boots that have really good supporting insoles, especially at the heels. They need to have a comfortable heel cup. And the soles of the boots you are going to buy should also be flexible, because you will want them to bend along with the natural bending of the foot that occurs with every step you take. However, a boot's stock insoles are never going to be able to hold a candle to custom measured insoles. This will require you to stand in a chunk of gel, which will then take on the imprint of your feet. This is then used as a mold to create custom made insoles, measured to your personal feet. If your case of plantar fasciitis is especially bad, then odds are you are going to have to get custom insoles. These are pricey, but totally worth it in the long run. Speaking of running... this condition does not necessarily have to mean the end of your running lifestyle. My site, the Boot Bomb, may be pretty much centered around hiking, but I also discuss other kinds of footwear. Such as for example, running shoes! Check out this page I have up on all these really good running sneakers for overweight people. When you are buying boots, you are planning on either walking or hiking. But if you want to go running, then you will have to get yourself running shoes, or sneakers, or whatever you want to call them. For runners, the same goes as for walkers, hikers and workers: you are placing stress on your feet for long periods of time. You absolutely require good footwear, or you will regret the day you ever set foot outside. In ConclusionThe most important thing to remember here, is that you have to take care of your feet and then your feet will take care of you. Some people will be overweight and deep down inside they know this causes their foot problems. Other people will be standing up straight all day to perform their jobs and deep down inside they know this is the cause of their foot pain. Some people will have this affliction in the family, and yet others will have a combination of all of the above. You have to listen to that tiny little voice in your head, which is trying to tell you that you have to be a responsible hiker. So hike responsible and get good hiking boots. You can't expect to get quality footwear for less than $100. If you are dead serious about good boots for hiking and preventing plantar fasciitis, then you will have to spend more than $100. Because these are the kind of boots that will give you good support and that will last a long time. If you go for cheaper boots to save money, then you should not be surprised if these hiking boots start falling apart after about a year or so. You want quality, then you have to pay for it? And besides... in the long run, the higher priced boots are actually cheaper. They might be twice as expensive, but they last much longer than twice the time cheap boots last. Once you've already contracted this condition, you can also get a plantar fasciitis night splint, which will hold your foot in the desired position during your sleep. It's not comfortable, but then again... neither is getting out of bed and being struck with sharp pains from the soles of your feet. |