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Home TreatmentsPatient education and self-management are very important in recovering from plantar fasciitis.  Avoidance of aggravating activities (any activity that involves repeated, impact of your heel on a hard surface such as jumping) and activity modification (pursuing less strenuous, weight bearing routines such as water exercises or biking) are recommended. It is suggested that you start at 50% of what you would normally do, and increase gradually as you see improvement in your condition. Taping your feet will also add support and relieve stress during vigorous activities.  Plantar fasciitis accounts for 10% of runner-related injuries and US doctors see 200,000 cases of this condition per year. Therefore, wearing appropriate athletic and/or regular shoes with significant arch support and motion control will help protect your feet. It is recommended that you avoid flat shoes and/or walking barefoot whenever possible. Stretching will help to alleviate muscle tightness in your plantar fascia as well as your foot, lower leg and hamstring muscles. It is best accomplished by doing foot/toe bending moves (slant boards or stretching on the stairs are good to pinpoint these foot and ankle muscles), bow and straight leg stretches, and yoga. Strengthening exercises such as picking up small items with your toes, doing toe taps or towel curls that focus on the muscles of your foot will help to increase your power and alleviate muscle imbalances in your foot.  Massaging your foot after exercise or long periods of standing will help relax your muscles. This can be accomplished by hand massage or rolling your foot over a can or tennis ball. Therapeutic ProductsBlood Flow Stimulation TherapyYou can help your body repair itself by speeding its natural healing process using an Inferno Wrap™. The Inferno Wrap's patented design delivers the most effective Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy you can find.  During normal activities, the movement promotes blood flow through our body. Our body responds to the movement by sending oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the muscles, joints, tendons and other soft tissue in the body. When at rest, the blood flow to your tendons is greatly reduced. Unfortunately, when your tendon is injured it requires rest but it also needs the blood flow to promote the healing process. Since you can't work your tendon without danger of further injury, you need to stimulate the blood flow another way. Our innovative Inferno Wrap™ gives you the best Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy available. The Inferno Wrap™ creates energy waves that stimulate blood flow by penetrating through the outer layers of your body. The energy waves reach deep into your muscles, tendons and cartilage, reducing your pain as they heal the inner tissue. An Inferno Wrap™ gives you unparalleled blood flow stimulation to your injured tendon. You simply won't find a comparable product on the market. Other therapy products can not come close to offering the comfortable, contoured fit and targeted energy treatment an Inferno Wrap™ provides. You will experience a soothing, penetrating warmth deep in the tissue as it works to stimulate your blood flow, we guarantee it. Now you can reduce your pain and heal yourself with the comfortable, light weight Inferno Wrap™. The Inferno Wrap™ provides effective, non-invasive, non-addictive pain relief with no side effects. When your tendon has healed somewhat and it comes time for more aggressive rehabilitation, stretching and activity, Blood Flow Stimultation Therapy warms the muscles in the injured area which increases range of motion and allows for a safer more thorough stretch.  Therapeutic Ultrasound Ultrasound Therapy is also a great tool for pain prevention of tendonitis or healing a tendon tear, and having a therapeutic ultrasound device at home can be a powerful and convenient treatment tool. If you have symptoms of tendonitis or are recovering from a tendon injury, using ultrasound on a regular basis before your activity or throughout the day will help relax your tendons and muscles, diminish pain and inflammation, soften scar tissue and contribute greatly to the healing of your injury. Therapeutic Ultrasound heats and massages your soft tissue giving you three primary benefits. First, it increases blood flow in the treated area which speeds your body's natural healing process. Second, it reduces swelling and edema which are the main sources of pain. Third, ultrasound softens existing scar tissue and minimizes the build up of new scar tissue resulting in reduced pain while healing and greater flexibility once healing is complete.  Eucalyptus...
It's in our Gel! Ultrasound can also be used to administer therapeutic medicines into the body. This is a process known as phonophoresis. Ultrasound with Phonophoresis is rapidly becoming more popular than Ultrasound Therapy alone.  Peppermint... It's in our gel too! Our MendMeShop Lavender Infusion Gel is the only topical therapeutic gel that is also a Phonophoretic Ultrasound Gel. It is made with natural medical ingredients including eucalyptus, peppermint, Bulgarian lavender and menthol. These effective ingredients have anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, decongestant, and circulatory stimulant properties. When applied topically and massaged into the skin, MendMeShop Lavender Infusion Gel relieves pain and speeds healing without any side-effects. Cold Compression TherapyOur cold compression wraps work by interrupting and slowing nerve and cell function in the area of your injured tendon. Once blood vessels are damaged they can no longer carry oxygenated blood to the damaged tissue and therefore cells begin to break-down. The deep cold provided by our cold compression wraps slows cell function thereby reducing cellular break-down. Furthermore, because the cold wraps serve to numb the nerves, the wraps also reduce pain! We have noticed over time that our customers are so fond of our cold wraps that they are frequently coming back and ordering a second one - this way they can cool one while wearing the other. The wraps are becoming very popular with baseball and soccer trainers, and the wraps can be conveniently stored in a cooler for quick application on the field when needed. Always allow the injured area to return to normal body temperature between hot and cold treatments by waiting 60-90 minutes before applying a different therapy. 
| Dear MendMeShop, The MendMeShop ultrasound device I bought has been a great purchase...well worth the money. The ultrasound gel seems so much better than the gel they use at the physical therapy or chiropractic offices. I initially bought the ultrasound device for an Achilles problem, and that was taken care of within 3 weeks. I am a runner who competes in races ranging from a mile to the marathon distance and competes in duathlons and triathlons. In January of 2008 I had a severe injury of my hamstring. I took it easy, iced, and waited for the pain to go away (at this point I had not heard about a home ultrasound device.) I was able to continue running after the pain lessened, but my range of motion was limited. My right leg was tight because of the hamstring injury. In May of 2008 I was running in a boot camp class and re-injured the hamstring. An MRI showed a right hamstring strain and extensive bursitis of the right hip. I began using the ultrasound device 3 times a day and I can say that my hamstring and hip are pain free. I have not had this much flexibility/range of motion in my right leg for over a year and a half. Rating: Barbara Doubek           | ||||
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