Plantar Fasciitis or "Flip Flop Syndrome"?

We've all heard at least a million times about the benefits of wearing sensible shoes and, conversely, the negative side effects of wearing ill fitting/supporting shoes. I don't know about you but once summer arrives, all that goes out the door for me and you won't catch me without my flip flops. Living in the city, I pretty much walk everywhere and am now feeling the backlash of doing so in said flip flops.  I've developed a pain in the center of my right heel and was convinced I had plantar fasciitis. 

Plantar fascia is a thick band of connective tissue that originates on the bottom surface of the heel and extends along the sole of the foot to the toes. Long periods of weight bearing (a job where you're standing all day), exercising (especially running), and tight calves are all associated with plantar fasciitis. I'm not quite ready to throw out my flip flops so I decided to find some different stretches to help out my condition. 

Adho Mukha Svanasana (or downward facing dog) has proven to be the best stretch for my calves and I think it's a perfect one for those who are pretty limber. When you first get into the posture, try peddling out your feet SLOWLY-first bend your left leg and hold, the straighten that leg while bending the right leg. Once you feel a little loosened up aim to get your heels on the ground-it's not important that they reach the ground just aim for it. Simultaneously, you also want to rotate your sit bones toward the sky and that'll help deepen the stretch in both your hamstrings and calves.

Another good stretch is to find a set of stairs, position yourself so about half of your feet is on the stairs and and the other half is hanging off. You'll slowly play with lowering your heels little by little until you feel the stretch and just hang out there for a few seconds. I don't find this one to be as intense as down dog, but it's a helpful one to incorporate in the middle of the day.

After all the stretching, I like to massage my feet a little bit-even five minutes can make a big difference. An easy, do-it-yourself foot massage is rolling your foot on a tennis ball. Because you're standing, you can control how much (or little) pressure you want. For those who, like me, require a lot of pressure, swap out the tennis ball for a golf ball.

If you're stubborn like me and refuse to throw out your flip flops, be sure to do something good for your feet at the end of the day-your whole body will thank you for it!