Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls and Paul Gasol of the LA Lakers are both suffering from
Plantar Fasciitis a injury to the plantar fascia of their feet. Gasol might be out until the end of March; while Noah who had plantar fasciitis in 2010 with his left foot now is getting platelet-rich plasma treatments for the plantar fasciitis in his right foot. They are both very unhappy. The plantar fascia is a thick band that runs along the bottom on the foot, from the heel to the ball of the foot. Its job is to act as the arch of the foot. When the plantar fascia, is injured due to over stress and strain it becomes inflamed resulting in a condition known as
Plantar Fasciitis. It is the single most common orthopedic problem seen by foot specialist in this country.
The Plantar Fascia
According to
Dr. Burton S. Schuler, Podiatrist, Foot Specialist of Panama City, Fl, who has 38 years of experiences, most case of Plantar Fasciitis, like the ones effecting the NBA players is caused by a problem known as a Morton's Toe that causes a abnormal stress on the feet. But this problem can be simply treated by stabilizing the front part of the foot by putting a small pad (the size of a piece of chewing gum) on the bottom of the foot in the area of the big toe. This pad has been around since 1927 when Dr. Dudley J. Morton, wrote about it in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. The pad is called a
Morton's Toe Pad (see picture above).
Schuler says
" If you have a Morton's Toe, the front part of the foot is unstable when it needs to be stable. Because of this, the foot will be forced to pronate. A
pronating foot will cause abnormal stress on many areas of the foot, including the plantar fascia and the heel bone. It is this abnormal stress that is the start of plantar fasciitis and most other foot problems" Dr Schuler feels that about 80% of patients who do appear in a podiatrist's offices do have a Morton's Toe.
WHAT IS A MORTON'S TOE OR LONG SECOND TOE
In the 1920's and 1930"s
Dr. Dudley J. Morton link of Yale Medical School and Columbia Medical School wrote that a problem with the 1st metatarsal bone, mostly a abnormal short bone, known as a Morton's Toe could be the reason for most foot problems.
Dr. Janet Travel, l who was the White House physician to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and Professor Emeritus of Medicine at George Washington University also wrote and taught that the Morton's Toe could cause pain all over your body. She wrote and taught for four decades that a Morton's Toe could cause back, hip, knee, leg foot and ankles pains.
Simple Answer:
The NBA player's plantar fasciitis's can be treated and or prevented by using the simple little pad shown above . The pad can be incorporated with the player's routine foot strapping's that they have applied daily before any workout or game. The Morton's Toe Pad can be used by anyone with foot problems. The Toe Pad, if worn will help prevent most foot problems including Plantar Fasciitis .
About the Author:
Dr. Burton S. Schuler, podiatrist foot doctor is a leading authority on the Morton's Toe, and it associated problems. . He is the author of the 2008 book about the Morton's Toe,
Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In the Foot, that has sold over 4500 copies. The book is published by the La Luz Press, Inc and is disturbed national by the Cardinal Publishing Group. He is also the author of "The Agony of De-Feet, a Podiatrist Guide to Foot Care" published in 1982