Heel Pain-Icing and Stretching with a frozen water bottle

Often, people complain about pain in the heel when they get up in the morning. This condition is typically called plantar fasciitis. This is an inflammation of the band on the bottom of the foot (the plantar fascia). This condition can be aggravated by weight changes (especially weight gain) and activity changes.

Plantar fasciitis requires icing and stretching (usually three times per day). Without this, it often does not improve. A good way of stretching and icing together is to freeze a water bottle and roll it along the bottom of the foot. If you are diabetic or have other serious health issues like peripheral vascular disease, you can only ice for 5-10 minutes at a time.

Happy Walking!
Dr. Bender

Diabetes-Portion Control with your diet

It is important as a diabetic to keep your blood sugar under good control: 80-120 mg/dL. If your blood sugar is elevated for prolonged periods, it can cause problems with your feet (numbness, burning, pain, sores).

Here are some good tips for portion control:
Meat-Size of deck of cards
Fruit-Size of a tennis ball
Potato-Size of an adult fist
Rice-Size of a teacup

It is important to reduce your intake of salad dressing, gravy, and butter. Also, when eatting out, the portions are often very large, so taking half of the meal home will allow you to avoid overeatting.