In the bottom of your foot, a thick band of tissue runs from the toes to the heel bone. It is called the Plantar fascia. Because of different circumstances, this band of tissue could become inflamed causing some serious heel pain or plantar fasciitis. However, you can alleviate the pain and hasten healing by knowing how to wrap foot for plantar fasciitis with ace bandage.
How do you know that you have plantar fasciitis? It is simple. You feel stabbing pain when you take the first steps in the morning. The pain disappears after that, but it can return later after you spend many hours sitting down or standing!
Although plantar fasciitis can happen to anyone, some people are at a higher risk of developing this condition.
For example, if you are overweight, you are at a higher risk of suffering, say, than a person who is not overweight. Athletes also suffer from plantar fasciitis. This is understandable since they are very active on their feet.
If you develop this condition, you will find it hard to stand on your affected foot because of the pain. When you experience any pain in your body, you need to know how to reduce it. In the case of the sharp plantar fasciitis pain, you should know as soon as possible how to alleviate the pain. It can render you immobile for some time.
How to treat plantar fasciitis
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Diagnosis for plantar fasciitis is the first step that you need to take. As much as this is the first culprit, there could be other causes of the condition. Thus, the doctor will do a physical check, looking for tender spots on your sole.
The doctor may also carry out an imaging test. This is usually not necessary, but it can help rule out other causes of the pain. X-Ray and MRI imaging may be done to ensure that indeed, you have plantar fasciitis.
After the diagnosis, you can then find out how to wrap foot for plantar fasciitis with ace bandage. Will this bandage help you? That is what we are going to find out here.
Now to the treatment of plantar fasciitis, what can you do to alleviate the pain? Well, there are many things.
You can put a pack of ice on your foot, but sometimes, there is just no time for that especially if you have to go to work.
There is physical therapy which basically aims to stretch the plantar fascia and the Achilles tendon. Other physical therapies may be aimed at strengthening the muscles of your lower legs.
If the pain occurs regularly every morning, you may use night splints to wear before you go to sleep. The splint stretches the arch of your foot and the calf, thus keeping your foot stretched in that position for the night.
Inserts and orthotics are another form of treatment for plantar fasciitis. The reason for their use is that the orthotics help support the arch, thus helping the foot spread out the pressure more efficiently.
Rest the foot. This is always a good idea when you have pain in the foot. Remember, your feet have to carry all of your weight. This is no easy feat.
You may try plantar fasciitis socks. These work almost in the same way as the bandage.
How to wrap foot for plantar fasciitis with ace bandage
You could go for the treatment options mentioned above. However, if you have to wear your work boots and spend the day on your feet, you need a faster respite from the pain. Apparently, one of the best ways to do this is to know how to wrap foot for plantar fasciitis with ace bandage.
Many people ask whether wrapping your foot really works. The answer is yes, it does! However, if your plantar fasciitis is too bad, you might have to consider surgery. But before it gets to that, you can try wrapping as a quick measure against the pain.
While wrapping the foot works very well to relieve the pain, it really does not treat the condition. Thus, when you unwrap your foot, it might still experience pain the following morning or after a few days.
The main reason why you ought to know how to tie ace bandage for plantar fasciitis is so that you can walk properly. If you definitely have to walk with plantar fasciitis pain, please do so with a bandage. Otherwise, it is recommended that you rest the foot with plantar fasciitis, but you know how it is. Sometimes, you just have to do some work. To reduce the symptoms of plantar fasciitis, wrap the foot with an Ace bandage.
When wrapping the feet, you have to employ some techniques. There are two main methods for how to wrap foot for plantar fasciitis with ace bandage.
Here they are:
The very first thing is to have your ace bandage with you. You also need some scissors since there will be some cutting to do. The good thing is that it is easy to do this without any help.
For good measure, do make sure that your foot is clean, especially if it will stay wrapped up for some time. You do not want odor causing bacteria to thrive in the warmth of the bandage.
1. Find a nice sitting position
Since your foot is already in pain, you do not want to exert any undue pressure on it. Definitely, when you wrap your foot while bending down, that is what will happen.
You need to find a good sitting position. You can sit on a chair so that you can place the foot on your knee. That should bring it closer to you so you can also see how the wrapping is going on.
2. Wrapping the foot from the ball of your foot to the heel
Start wrapping the bandage from just under the big toe and the pinkie toe. Wrap the bandage slowly, overlapping ever so little and do it all the way to the heel. When you get to the ankle, keep the bandage a bit low. It is not supposed to go up the ankle, anyway.
At the heel area, just go to about 2/3 of the heel. That should keep the bandage under check so it does not go to the ankle. Do not do too many layers of the bandage. Just once is with some overlap is enough.
3. Wrapping the ace bandage in X-Shape
If you decide to use this method, you just need to start wrapping it up at the big toe, just as we did in the first technique.
Wrap all the way to the heel, with some overlap and when you get to the heel, go around it and then wrap the bandage in the other direction.
What we mean here is that if in the first lap you tied the bandage from the inside of the foot, when wrapping it from the heel to the toes, wrap from the outside of the foot. That way, the bandage forms an X-pattern.
When you get to the toes, go back in the opposite direction, wrapping the bandage to the heel and up the ankle where you can secure it. You are done.
How tight should the bandage be?
When learning how to wrap foot for plantar fasciitis with ace bandage, you will be wondering just how tight the bandage should be. It should be firm, a little bit tight perhaps, but not too tight as to be painful. It is alright to feel a little pain since the bandage is supposed to stretch the foot and prevent the pain.
Benefits of wrapping foot for plantar fasciitis with ace bandage
You wake up in the morning, you take the first step towards the bathroom and there… stabbing pain pangs.
When your foot leaves the ground, they stop. When it lands, the pain stabs you again. It is so serious such that you cannot even wear your shoes. Therefore, one of the benefits of wrapping an ACE bandage around the foot is that it reduces the pain. You may combine this method with other pain relieving methods.
Wrapping is not supposed to heal the condition. It is only going to keep you from so much pain. In fact, it is best used in combination with other treatment methods. It is also not going to serve you in the long-term.
It is going to keep you away from pain for a short time as you seek a better treatment method for your foot. However, for the time that it works, it is very helpful. Thus, if you will be going for a hiking expedition on a steep trail, it can help to have this bandage in your bag.
If you spend many hours on your feet, you may suffer from plantar fasciitis. Just make sure you have some ACE bandage with you. If you get that stabbing pain, this bandage is going to prevent pain.
Conclusion
You have seen how to wrap foot for plantar fasciitis with Ace bandage. It is simple, fast and it offers quick relief for an inflamed plantar fascia. Since this pain usually strikes in the morning, or after a long climbing hike, it is best to tie the bandage before the hike or before going to sleep. This is going to keep your foot muscles stretched and so you should not experience pain.