For inflammation of the fascia and bone growth on the heel, doctors, in addition to medicinal treatment methods, recommend heel massage for heel spurs.
The best option is when the procedure is performed by a professional massage therapist or chiropractor.
However, not all patients have the opportunity to visit these specialists every day.
In this case, you can perform self-massage for heel spurs yourself, knowing the basic rules and techniques for its implementation.
How does massage help with heel spurs?
Massage treatment for plantar fasciitis is part of a comprehensive treatment program and goes well with both conservative medicine and folk recipes for the treatment of heel spurs.
A correctly performed procedure has the following positive effects:
- increases blood supply to the affected fascia;
- launches tissue regeneration processes;
- eliminates swelling and stiffness of the foot muscles;
- strengthens the ligaments and muscles of the foot;
- relieves tension and pain;
- promotes better absorption of local medications.
To see improvements in the patient’s condition, 10-20 massage sessions are necessary. Before carrying out the procedure, be sure to consult with an orthopedist and make sure there are no contraindications.
If you are undergoing physical therapy for a heel spur, ask your physical therapist about the impact of massage on the healing process.
Attention! Massage aimed at crushing and eliminating bone growth, including intense impact, can only be performed by a specialist.
Indications for massage
Foot massage can be used not only as a prevention of various diseases, but also be an excellent addition to treatment. In addition to the fact that foot massage has a positive effect on the musculoskeletal system and the muscular corset, it can be an excellent assistant for the following indications:
- Arthrosis/arthritis.
- Heel spurs.
- Flat feet.
- Valgus foot.
- Swelling and pain in the legs.
- Rehabilitation after fractures/restoration of mobility.
How to massage a heel spur?
As a rule, self-massage is used by patients to relieve pain and strengthen the ligaments of the feet. In this case, it is better to carry out the procedure in the evening after a set of gymnastic exercises for heel spurs.
Before the massage, it is recommended to steam your feet in a foot bath with salt, honey, clay or bioshift.
To enhance the effect of self-massage, you can use warming ointments instead of oil or massage gel:
- Voltaren;
- Fastum-gel;
- Nayatoks;
- Capsicam, etc.
The Pyatkashpor cream, created specifically to eliminate growths and soften the skin on the legs, increases the effectiveness of the massage. The cream is quickly absorbed and resolves the spur, relieves swelling, helping to reduce pain.
Before you begin directly massaging the sore heel, you need to warm up and prepare the muscles of the lower leg and feet. To do this, you need to rub them with your hands from bottom to top. To enhance the effect, you can use a massage mitten.
TOP 5 best self-massage techniques
- Small pinches with fingers. From the longitudinal arch of the foot, make small pinches with your fingertips towards the bone growth.
- Rubbing with fingertips. With maximum effort, rub your heel in different directions: up/down, left/right.
- Intensive circular rubbing. Start rubbing the heel from the edges, gradually concentrating around the spike.
- Impact on the spur. Grasp your heel with your hands so that your thumbs are on top and gently massage the heel spike.
- Rib strikes. Apply light strikes with the edge of your palm up and down.
Please note that you will experience severe pain when pressing on the spur. The intensity of the massage movements should cause moderate pain, but in no case severe.
The massage techniques described above should be repeated 2-3 times. To finish the massage for heel spurs at home, you need to rub and generally stroke the foot.
At the end of the procedure, you can reapply Pyatkaspor ointment and put on a Strasbourg night sock for maximum restoration of relaxed fascia.
Benefits of heel massage
A massage will help you relax and get rid of stress. In society, it is generally accepted that the back and neck are the parts of the body that are massaged to get rid of fatigue. But the heels also have many points that can put you into a state of relaxation. Massaging can help relieve anxiety, headaches and migraines. In addition, massage has a beneficial, calming effect before menstruation and improves sex life.
Massaging the heels of the feet can improve sleep, relieve insomnia and improve blood circulation. Just like proper nutrition, foot massage can normalize blood pressure. Massage helps avoid flat feet and swelling of the legs. It also improves the condition of the nails and skin of the feet.
Massage mat and massager for heel spurs
Orthopedic doctors and chiropractors, when telling how to treat heel spurs at home, advise using special devices - massage mats and massagers.
Massage mats
The most useful are silicone products with separated massage zones. Such mats not only help reduce the pain of spurs, but also help eliminate the main cause of fasciitis - flat feet. Using zone mats is very simple: you need to stand on them and imitate walking, stepping into different zones for 10-15 minutes.
Regular massage with a mat can improve blood circulation, relieve tired legs, and remove swelling. When exposed to the points of the foot, the nerve endings compressed by the growth are released and pain is reduced. If you are looking for a way to quickly relieve pain from a heel spur, then such a mat will be a real find. You can buy massage mats on our website.
Massagers
The most popular are roller hand massagers and hardware vibrating foot massagers. Under the influence of vibration, the fascia relaxes and the heel spike is gently massaged. As a result, the patient starts regeneration and eliminates muscle stiffness.
When using a vibrating massager, it is important to monitor the intensity of vibration - it should cause minimal discomfort, but not severe pain. In terms of effectiveness, vibrating massagers and roller massagers are comparable to some physical procedures.
Massaging heel spurs with a massager helps strengthen the fascia, ligaments and tendons of the feet. This leads not only to pain relief, but also prevents the growth of the thorn.
Features of the procedure
The heel is one of the most important bones of the human skeleton. It was not for nothing that in the Middle Ages in Eastern countries they carried out torture by sewing horsehair into the heels - this brought hellish, martyrdom pain. Therefore, it is very important to take care of your feet and massage your heels regularly. It is recommended to massage while sitting on a chair or lying on your back. Today, there are a huge number of massage mats with a variety of coatings on store shelves, but massaging the feet with your hands remains the most effective. In addition to traditional heel massage, rubbing and pinching are often used.
What to combine with foot massage for heel spurs?
Self-massage will not help cure fasciitis unless it is carried out in combination with other therapeutic techniques:
- Drug treatment in the form of tablets, ointments with anti-inflammatory effects.
- Physiotherapeutic procedures aimed at reducing spurs and relieving symptoms.
- Full relief of the heels with the help of orthopedic insoles, Strutz arch supports and heel pads.
When choosing insoles, it is necessary to take into account the nature of the spur, the presence of accompanying foot deformities and the characteristics of sweating.
We have made for you a review of the 10 best insoles for spurs, after studying which you can choose the optimal orthopedic devices for street, sports and indoor shoes.
In addition to insoles, you can use silicone heel pads to cushion and protect the damaged heel.
Here is a selection of the 5 best lifters that will help consolidate the effect of the massage and cure fasciitis.
Types of massage
There are several popular and most effective types of heel massage. In the East, the most relevant technique is point-based. It was in Asian countries that the saying “health rests on the soles of your feet” originated. Chinese heel massage has a positive effect on the rejuvenation of the body and prevents premature aging. There is also a Thai foot massage, thanks to which all harmful microelements and substances are removed from the body; often the course of such a massage lasts ten sessions.
There are also three types of traditional massage:
- The treatment usually lasts about twenty-four days, depending on the specific problem of the patient;
- reflex is to change the force of pressure on the heels, strengthens the immune system;
- relaxing – a light stroking massage, lasting no more than fifteen minutes.
Rules for self-massage
Before starting massage treatment, read the rules and recommendations of specialists, the implementation of which will help you avoid mistakes and side effects:
- For improvements to occur, self-massage must be done regularly. The optimal mode is daily in the evening.
- Increase the force of impact gradually.
- Massage the hard areas around the spur with maximum pressure, which causes tolerable pain.
- After the session, it is mandatory to use a Strasbourg sock. At this time, the fascia is relaxed and stretched; it is important to fix it in this position throughout the night.
- If the pain intensifies after the procedure, then next time reduce the intensity and pace.
Attention! You cannot use such barbaric methods of “massage” as hitting with a rolling pin and other objects. Such techniques can be found in magazines and on the Internet; their use often leads to foot injuries.
Heels and acupuncture
In addition to traditional massage, you can use the practice of acupuncture. There are many nerve endings located on the foot, including the heel, the proper elaboration of which will bring worthy results. Acupressure will not only help restore an injured heel, but will also have a beneficial effect on the performance of internal organs and the general condition of a person. Regardless of the patient’s age, heel reflexology gives positive results. But you should avoid it during pregnancy, skin disorders on the foot and during exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Is it always possible to massage a heel spur? Contraindications
As with other procedures, self-massage has a number of contraindications:
- open and purulent wounds on the feet;
- undergoing a course of radiotherapy;
- neoplasms on the legs;
- problems with blood supply to the extremities;
- tuberculosis.
After complete cure of fasciitis, it is recommended to perform manual massage or use a massage mat 1-2 times a week to prevent recurrence of bone growth.
Who should not massage their feet?
Despite the fact that we are talking about amateur home massage, even this may be contraindicated for some reasons. Primarily for various tumors and inflammatory processes, hernias, as well as in the first trimester of pregnancy.
The following are considered contraindications for any massage:
- skin problems, rashes and acute fungal diseases,
- oncology,
- diabetes,
- serious injuries (fractures, sprains, dislocations),
- disorders of the joints,
- diseases and abnormalities of the cardiovascular system,
- phlebeurysm,
- thrombosis, thrombophlebitis and any blood diseases,
- epilepsy,
- various problems with the thyroid gland,
- pregnancy (especially the first trimester),
- any chronic diseases in the acute stage.
If you have any of these contraindications, you should definitely consult a doctor before starting a course of even non-professional massage.
Should you do lymphatic drainage foot massage?
Most of us have feet that are prone to swelling. To disrupt the outflow of lymph from the lower extremities, just some trifle is enough. For example, you just sat cross-legged, and these are already compressed popliteal nodes and swollen ankles and shins.
We are not even talking about pathological conditions when there are medical indications for lymphatic drainage massage of the legs. We look only at our everyday life. And it turns out that the factors that impede the outflow of fluid from the legs lie in wait for us “at every step” (in the literal and figurative sense of the word), and are part of our life.
Here is an incomplete list of what leads to lymph stagnation in the lower extremities:
- a pose that restricts the movement of lymph (legs crossed, legs tucked, etc.),
- uncomfortable shoes, heels,
- tight jeans,
- sleeping in a monotonous and uncomfortable position,
- heat,
- standing on your feet for a long time (you need to lie with your feet up for at least 30 minutes a day to allow the lymph to “drain”),
- long trips in which we sit for several hours.
It also matters what you eat, how much water you drink (you need to consume at least 2 liters to ensure lymph flow), what state your psyche is in, what your hormones are like, etc.
Therefore, lymphatic drainage foot massage will be useful for everyone. Even if you don’t currently have problems with lymph, you will strengthen capillaries and blood vessels and protect yourself from disruptions in the functioning of the lymph system.
And when the legs are already swelling, lymphatic drainage massage is a must-have program. Even if swelling is rare and mild (sock marks are visible), the lymphatic system itself will not improve its functioning, the problem will only grow. To avoid turning into an elephant woman, you should start helping your lymph now.
You can find the best lymphatic drainage techniques in the “Grow Up” marathon from MelAnnett.