One of the most common complaints I hear on the phone from women over 40 is the struggle they have with heel pain and weight gain. Now this can either be the exacerbation of an already existing heel pain condition because of the extra kilo’s being carried around, but more commonly in my experience of 14 years chatting with our female clients at the Foot & Leg centre, this weight gain occurs as a secondary response to inactivity or reduced activity because of the onset of heel pain.

“I have difficulty walking without pain & weight gain”

Gloria P (09.11.20)

Sound familiar?

It’s a horrible position to find yourself in and you feel helpless and at the mercy of well-meaning health professionals who simply tell you to rest up, apply ice, take some anti-inflammatory pills, get yourself some orthotics or even recommend a cortisone injection to help you manage that pain…so that you can start to walk or exercise again.

“Pain means I can’t walk (exercise) without pain – I think it’s also weight gain related“

Christine T.  (18.6.20)

But is that what you really want?

Sure, these kind of common treatment recommendations may help for a little while, but believe me, it’s only putting off what is only going to snowball a short time from now!…and you’ll find time and time again that you are only adding to the problem by stop-starting the healthy habits you’ve been trying to create, adding to feelings of frustration, failure and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness!

Habits can be really hard to create and keep and so easy to lose, and the thing about creating and maintaining those good habits is that unless you’re practising them consistently, you’re only going to find the whole process one giant struggle…and you’re ultimately setting yourself up for failure!

When it comes to treating heel pain, only focusing on the symptoms rather than addressing the underlying cause, will unfortunately and most likely hinder your recovery efforts and create that stop-start scenario…it will consistently show up again in your life and stop you from building up that momentum you need for healthy habit creation!

Not only that, when it really starts to get you down…which could be the ongoing or recurrent heel pain itself, the weight gain…or more likely the combination of the two…then one of the most common self-soothing behaviours women most often turn too is eating or snacking more…which “yes”, as you are most likely thinking now…is only going to create a bigger problem!

“I am unable to go walking for fitness. Generally, just getting through the morning can be a struggle“

Sheralyn I. (10.8.20)

And what’s worse is that unless you can break the cycle by getting to the cause of that heel pain in the first place, the heel pain and weight gain is only going to show up more in your life.

“Even certain medications, including some pain medications such as anti-inflammatories, can cause weight gain through the retention of fluid and water”

If you can relate to any of what I’ve said so far on any level, then this is even more important to address now more than ever because the longer you leave it, the longer it’s going to take to achieve your goals and get you back on your feet doing the things you love and enjoying yourself like you should be!

…not to mention, that as us ladies get older, it can become more difficult to get rid of those extra kilos! So, take it from me, take one less worry out of the equation and get to the cause of that heel pain once and for all and tip the scales to success in your favour!

So, what are some of the things that women, just like you, have told us about why they’ve come in to see us and what they want to achieve.…

• “Pain relief, how to manage after exercise” – Sarah K. (02.7.20)
• “To be reassured that this will not interfere with my ability to run and play tennis, well into the future” – Joanne C. (28.9.20)
• “Relieve pain so I can walk and relieve lower back pain” – Lindy I. (21.10.20)
• “What to do to improve so I can walk more” – Lisa H. (3.3.21)

Every single week at the Foot & Leg Centre, we help women just like you, who are suffering with heel pain. Women who are struggling to manage their weight because of the burden of pain that’s preventing them from becoming more active, and women who are struggling with heel pain because of the extra weight they’re carrying.

By treating the underlying cause of your pain and not just the symptoms we can work with your body, to support it in repairing itself naturally.

That’s why you typically don’t require specialised shoes, orthotic insoles, medication or surgery with Foot Mobilisation Therapy. In addition, Foot Mobilisation Therapy can give you the freedom to wear the shoes that you love, do the activities you enjoy and have a better quality of life.

Foot Mobilisation Therapy (FMT) is a very gentle ‘hands-on’ treatment that improves the mobility, function and posture of your feet.

To fix the heel pain you must reduce the strain on the arch and heel tissues. Achieving this allows true healing to occur. Remember, your body is constantly regenerating and repairing itself. It just needs to be able to do this at a speed faster than it is being injured. Get this right and you’ll be able to move more and be in a better position to exercise daily, so you can get back on track with building those daily health habits and managing your weight at a more desirable level.

By using the gentle, ‘hands-on’ specialised techniques of Foot Mobilisation Therapy, we can correct the joint displacements. This puts the structure of the foot back into the correctly aligned position, so the muscles, ligaments and tissues around the joints aren’t working harder than they need to – which can lead to that inflammation and pain that you feel as heel pain. And when combined with specific corrective exercises, it can help the muscles around the heel and arch become flexible and strong again.

Once the foot structures have been re-aligned, the body can then work properly and more efficiently allowing the natural healing processes of the body to repair the plantar fascia; allowing you to get back to the activities you enjoy and avoid weight gain!

If you’re ready to get your life back and fix your problematic heel pain once and for all, or you would like to learn more about how Foot Mobilisation Therapy might be the right solution for your foot pain problems, then simply call Raquel at our Kent Town Centre on 8239 0800 or Wendy at our Glenelg Centre on 8294 0100 for an appointment today; or CLICK HERE to book your no-obligation heel pain assessment today.

I hope that you found this information beneficial. As my way of saying thank you for taking the time to read this article, I would also like to offer you our complete no-obligation heel pain assessment for ONLY $25 (normally $97). Also, if you know someone who could benefit from reading this then please share it with them – it might just be the information they need to help them stop the endless cycle of heel pain and weight gain!