Causes of Foot Pain

Your foot is made up of 24 bones, with the longitudinal arch running the length of the foot and the transverse arch running the width.  These bones are held together by fitting with each other as well as ligaments.  Muscles and plantar fascia also provide support for the foot, and fat pads help absorb impact and your body's weight.

The cause of foot pain can be from many conditions or injuries, with repeated trauma, disease or a combination of the two being most common.  If your body is out of alignment or you wear the wrong type of shoes such as high heels or shoes that are too tight, you will probably experience foot pain.  Stress to the foot can cause sprains, bruises and fractures.  Overstretching, overuse, and overloading can strain the foot muscle's bursa and fascia.  The foot's bones can be injured by a sudden single blow or twist, or repetitive trauma that causes a fracture. Your foot's arches are made to absorb pressure to and from the body, and injury to the plantar fascia is a common cause of arch pain. 

Poor fitting shoes can cause blisters, calluses, and bruising, and long term can cause bunions, corns and irritation to the nerves and joints as well as misalignment of the toes. So be good to your feet and wear proper fitting shoes, avoiding high heels whenever possible.  You can alleviate some of the pressure on your feet by using shoe insoles.  Some of the best ones are constructed of 100 percent sponge rubber which will spring back when you step, returning lost energy to your body.  Your feet will thank you.

Supplements to help you heal after surgery

If a surgery is in your future, supplements can be helpful in speeding up the healing process, reducing scar formation and lessening the number of complications. Some supplements are recommended prior to surgery while others are beneficial after the surgery has been completed.

Dr. Mercola (Mercola.com) recommends the following supplements be started approximately 2 to 4 weeks before your surgery, but always check with your doctor before starting any supplements:

• Vitamin C - 500 - 1000 mg three times per day
• Vitamin E - 400 units a day (use caution if your surgery could involve bleeding complications)
• Lipoic Acid - 100 mg three times per day
• Vitamin A - 50,000 units per day
• Zinc - 30 mg per day
• Citrus Bioflavonoids - 1000 mg three times per day
• Probiotics - two times per day
• Amino Acids will also enhance healing

After surgery, eating 2 to 3 enzyme capsules 10 to 30 minutes before each meal will reduce inflammation and tissue swelling at the site of the surgical procedure.  Either digestive or pineapple enzymes are affective.  According to Natural News, antibiotic-resistant bacteria is all too common with new viruses surfacing regularly.  After surgery, you can also be exposed to staph infections as well as problems arising if the medical staff failed to sterilize the medical equipment or follow guidelines properly.

To ease inflammation, consider using natural herbal products such as Recovazon. Chlorella has been found helpful in speeding up cell growth in would repair.  Gotri kola is an herb that helps treat scars and wounds with infections.  Silica helps heal skin, ligaments, tendons and other tissue.  Colloidal Silver used topically helps prevent infections and works as a natural antibiotic.  Sunlight helps wounds heal, and patients who are exposed to sunlight heal faster than those who aren't.  And avoid junk food while you're healing, particularly processed fats because they interfer with healthy cell wall construction. 

Hopefully your surgical procedure will go smoothly and you'll soon be back to normal activities. However if you ever experience medical negligence, consider seeking help from Alexander Harris. Alexander Harris is a clinical negligence solicitor and is a leader in healthcare law and obtaining compensation for victims of accidents and medical negligence such as cerebral palsy, surgical errors, cosmetic surgery problems or an incorrect diagnosis just to name a few.

The Gardener's New Year's Resolution

Winter is just beginning here in Northwest Ohio, and our gardens are taking a well-deserved nap beneath the snow. I'm already anxiously awaiting the return of my perennial flowers, and soon the first garden seed catalogs will start arriving in the mail and I'll begin plotting out my Spring vegetable garden.

It's also a good time of year to make your garden resolution if you do that sort of thing. Here's a cute article I ran across a couple years back that is just that -

A Gardener makes her New Year's resolution by Kelly Heidbreder:

"OK, put your right hand up and your left hand on the newspaper. Let's get those New Year Resolutions on the record. Now, repeat after me:

I (state your name) resolve to prune the bushes this year.

I will not be afraid of my loppers and will get the dogwood tree in my backyard into shape by getting rid of broken and crossing branches first.

I resolve to rake all winter debris off my lawn instead of just trying to mow over it.

I will create a discrete compost pile in my yard this spring after I clean up the leaves from winter and show my children that the right mix of garden garbage doesn't stink.

I will plant an extra flat of (insert your favorite color here ) annuals this year just because they will make me smile.

I will find my local extension office and have my soil tested this spring.

I resolve not to roll my lawn in the spring and finally realize that it flattens on its own.

I will figure out the real meaning of the numbers on those bags of fertilizer.

My lawn will not be scalped this year because I will raise my mower deck up to three inches even if I have to get the W-D40 or oil out to adjust its rusty risers.

I will actually sit down and draw a landscape plan instead of digging holes and filling them, then moving those plants to a better spot.

I promise not to bag all of my grass clippings and will compost a few bags or get a mulching mower instead so the clippings will feed my lawn.

If I can't live with my mole neighbors any longer, I will call in a professional to give me a hand.

I will grow (insert your favorite tomato variety here) with gusto, pride, and a little extra fertilizer so my tomatoes are bigger than my neighbor's.

I will linger in my roses as I clip off the faded blossoms.

I will remember to plant pumpkins in late June so I will actually have a few jack-o-lanterns to carve.

I promise to read more about emerald ash borers and understand that they are here to stay and in honor of their memory, will plant an oak tree somewhere at the edge of my property.

Tulip bulbs are my friends and I will plant at least three dozen around the edge of my flower bed next year so my spouse will beam with pride and have bragging rights to the prettiest garden next spring."