Hey, do you think you might have sciatica? Are you also dealing with a foot problem? Do you think it might be plantar fasciitis? Sciatica and plantar fasciitis have a rarely discussed connection and it might be the missing link that you need to get back to feeling normal again.

I’m Dr. David Middaugh, Physical Therapist owner of El Paso Manual Physical Therapy. Here we’ve seen so many clients that have come in with a foot problem or a plantar fasciitis problem and found connections to a sciatica problem as well.

These people often come in with stabbing heel pain, cramps in the arch of the foot, even into the toes, numbness and tingling that go into the toes. Or they might have tight muscles in the foot and the arch of the foot and even into the calf muscles. Possible ankle pain, and even swelling and redness around the foot that’s unexplained that isn’t related to a rash or some other skin condition.

Most of the time, these people are told they have plantar fasciitis or some other related foot condition and they’re given pain medications, injections, and in worse cases, they’re even sent to have plantar fasciitis surgery. The worst part is, unfortunately, the sciatica problem, the sciatic nerve, is rarely ever addressed. It might be a huge factor in this foot problem. Our clients often tell us that they dread taking the first few steps after waking up in the morning. They’ll sit on the edge of the bed and they have to think about it because they know that as soon as they put pressure on their feet, it just kills them, it hurts their heels!

It also hurts them if they’ve been sitting for a long time, like if they’ve been sitting through a movie, if they’ve been driving for a while, or if they have a desk job and get up to take the first few steps after sitting, that hurts their feet as well.

Our clients also tell us they can’t stand being on their feet for too long, anything more than 20 minutes, in some cases, and they feel like they have to go sit down just to allow their feet to calm down. Our poor ladies that love wearing heels and love wearing their cute shoes often trade in the style for comfortable shoes that they can fit their insoles into because that gives them a bit of relief.

Most people that come in to see us with plantar fasciitis and foot problems related to a sciatica problem have told us that they’ve tried all kinds of things. They’ve tried resting their feet, they’ve tried buying new shoes, they’ve done over the counter insoles. They’ve done custom insoles or orthotics. They’ve gotten a frozen water bottle and rolled their foot over it to put cold through their foot.They’ve tried wrapping their feet and have even tried pain medications. Many people that are in here for the first time show us the foot and ankle stretches that they’ve learned and they’ve been trying to do with little relief. Many have tried foot massages and some of the toughest cases have gone to the extent of wearing splints at night. (These are special stockings that you’ll put on your leg and they’ve got a fabric that pulls the toes and ankle and foot all the way up and then they sleep like that all night, and it is usually quite uncomfortable.)

Now, some of these methods do provide some short term relief, they do take care of aspects of the problem, but it’s rare that these methods fully resolve the problem for the longterm. It may not be adequate enough to get you back to being on your feet for as long as you’d like and wearing the shoes that you want, whenever you want.

If you’re tired of having to find somewhere to sit or lie down to find relief for your feet, or you’re tired of trading stylish shoes for the comfortable shoes when shoe shopping, or you’re tired of having to make sure that your insoles go with you everywhere you go, then it may be time to talk to a specialist. Here at El Paso Manual Physical Therapy, we specialize in our holistic approach at finding connections between sciatic nerve problems and other nerve problems and how they relate to a foot problem like plantar fasciitis. We help people get back to being healthy, active, and mobile again, while avoiding pain medications, pain injections, and unnecessary surgeries.

Our clients are always happy to get back to wearing their cute shoes, get back to exercising and being on their feet as long as they want, while having this confidence that the sciatica and the foot or plantar fasciitis problem is under control for the long term. If you think we might be able to help you out, we have a way for you to get expert specialist help right now. I encourage you to call (915) 503-1314 and ask about something called a Discovery Visit. We have a limited amount of these available each week and what it is, is it’s a 20 minute visit where you can speak with a specialist about your foot and sciatica problem and get expert advice and tips about how to proceed with it.

If that’s a little too much for you, you don’t want to come into a visit right now, I get it, I understand. But maybe you want to speak to somebody over the phone, speak to a specialist about your problem. We have that option as well. If you call (915) 503-1314, one of our staff will answer and they’ll be happy to learn more about your problem and see if you’re a good fit for a free phone consultation with a specialist physical therapist. And if you’re just looking to get help right now, you just want something that you can do at home right now, I encourage you to download our free ebook full of the best sciatica tips that we offer our clients. Find the button over to the side here. A window will pop up and type in your information and we’ll instantly email you a copy of the book and some other health information to help you get back to being active, healthy, and mobile again.

If you prefer to get a physical copy of the book, we’ll be happy to send one out to you in the mail. Just call us at (915) 503-1314, speak to our staff, tell them a little bit about what you’re going through right now, and we’ll get your address information and send it your way. I wish you the best of luck in treating this foot plantar fasciitis and possibly a sciatica problem. I hope you get back to being active, being your normal self again, and wearing whatever shoes you like and having the full confidence that it’s not going to come back. Have a wonderful day!