Nobody likes waking up to stabbing heel pain first thing in the morning – unfortunately, this is all too common for those suffering from plantar fasciitis.
What is plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is a condition where the plantar fascia (or the thick band of tissue that runs along the arch of your foot, connecting your heel bone to your metatarsals) becomes inflamed or damaged. You may think of the plantar fascia like a tightrope. Since the plantar fascia functions to create the arch of your foot, you don’t want it to loosen, or your foot will collapse. Putting pressure on the surface of the plantar fascia can lead to creating microtears and too much pulling strain. All of these factors can contribute to foot pain and plantar fasciitis.
When you are asleep, the plantar fascia have time to allow inflammation to decrease naturally, and to heal microtears. When you wake up and take your first few steps of the day, the microtears and inflammation are re-aggravated. Stretching the plantar fascia can also contribute to increased pain in the mornings.
How to Decrease Foot Pain in the Mornings
One treatment with the BFST lasts only twenty minutes, but the increase in blood flow lasts for up to four hours after that treatment. To decrease pain in the mornings, do a BFST treatment right before you go to bed, and another one right when you wake up. The treatment before bed will continue stimulating your blood flow while you sleep, and the treatment first thing in the morning will act as a warm-up for your circulation – this should result in pain relief! For best results, use the BFST three to four times daily.
Wearing KB Support Tape acts as armor for your injury at any time, including while you sleep. With light support and compression, it reduces the potential for reinjury, and it provides a stabilizing effect – adding even more pain relief while you’re exercising or asleep.