WFH Can Cause Leg Discomfort – Massage Therapy Can Help
Your shoes should be made for walking
Congratulations we are lock-done! Working from home has presented a different set of challenges to our posture and imbalances. Walking on harder surfaces and sitting for hours has wreaked havoc on our legs that you may not have noticed. Specifically the plantar fascia.
What am I talking about?
Underneath our feet we have this wonderful thing called plantar fascia. It’s a layer of tissue that connects the heel to the toes and into the tissues of the calf muscles. When the calf muscles are short or there’s an imbalance in the foot the tissue can get inflamed and it is not pleasant. Not only is it painful but it can cause shortening of the muscles behind your legs (the hamstrings and calves). Stretching alone may not be the conclusive solution.
How an RMT can help – Manual therapy
Seeing a massage therapist can aid with the more indepth structures. In the more chronic stages what we aim to do is lengthen the tissue in the foot, calf areas and even the hamstrings.
We would start with some fascial techniques moving into Swedish massage and can even integrate stretching and joint mobility to the ankle.
Depending on the severity of the inflammation of the plantar tissues we can integrate supportive taping to the calves and along the back of the leg.
Taking care of yourself
When alone you can use a tennis ball or an iced water bottle when inflamed to gently roll the bottom of your foot against with minimal pressure. The gentle massage will be enough to get you back to your regular activities of the day.
We recommend that you use some heat to the back of your legs prior to your activities. And yes, we do recommend and even encourage you to continue with your activities on a gradual scale.
Talk to your RMT and we can demonstrate strengthening and stretching exercises to lengthen, and relax the tissues of the foot, calves and hamstrings.