--- title: Foot Pain and Plantar Fasciitis Can be Solved Without Surgery description: By handling overlooked causes of foot pain including plantar fasciitis, painful foot problems can help helped without resorting to dangerous surgery. image: http://www.helpmychronicpain.com/hubfs/images/Foot_Pain-Blog_640.jpg --- [![Dr Karl Johnson Logo Header](https://www.helpmychronicpain.com/hs-fs/file-1517915219-png/images/logo.png "Dr Karl Johnson Logo Header")](https://www.helpmychronicpain.com) [![contact-img](https://www.helpmychronicpain.com/hs-fs/file-1517915214-png/images/contact-img.png)](http://helpmychronicpain.com/) ## Dr. Karl R.O.S. Johnson's Chronic Condition Natural Treatment Blog *Intentional musings of a unique Shelby Township Michigan Chiropractic Physician dedicated to helping people find solutions to improving their health by rooting out causes to chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia, thyroid disorder symptoms, balance disorders, migraines, sciatica, ADD/ADHD/ASD, back pain, peripheral neuropathy, gluten sensitivity and autoimmune disorders so they can Reclaim Their Life!* # From the Desk of Dr. Karl R.O.S. Johnson, DC..... ## [Foot Pain and Plantar Fasciitis Can be Solved Without Surgery](https://www.helpmychronicpain.com/blog/foot-pain-and-plantar-fasciitis-can-be-solved-without-surgery) Posted by [Dr. Karl R.O.S. Johnson, DC](https://www.helpmychronicpain.com/blog/author/dr-karl-ros-johnson-dc) on Wed, Nov 18, 2015 Find me on: [Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/ShelbyChronicConditionDoctor) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/dr-karl-r-o-s-johnson-dc/26/676/422) [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/WellnessChiroMI) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ## If you currently have foot pain or plantar fasciitis, or if you have had it in the past - you know how it can totally interfere with your life. I personally have had pain so bad that I literally could not sleep. Just the pressure of my foot weight resting in an elevated position on a pillow was excruiating. I would not wish foot pain on anyone. Due to my own issues with severe periodic foot pain, I was compelled to search for solutions that were effective and expedient. My professional work involves standing on my feet most of the day along with walking. I also prefer an active life outside of my office and having foot pain was not something I wanted to try to have with me the rest of my life.  My search led me to some surprising solutions that totally eliminated my pain and I would like to share them with you. Feet are an engineering miracle and when they function correctly they support all of our weight with no pain whatsoever. The human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons and three arches. The 52 bones in your feet make up about 25 percent of all the bones in your body. Abnormal function of the joints, muscles, or ligaments can certainly bring about foot pain. However, problems further away from the foot can also cause pain in our lower extremity, including our feet. **[![Non-Surgical Foot Pain Solution Plantar Fasciitis](http://www.helpmychronicpain.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/Foot_Pain-Blog_640.jpg?width=640&name=Foot_Pain-Blog_640.jpg "Non-Surgical Foot Pain Solution Plantar Fasciitis")](https://www.helpmychronicpain.com/blog/foot-pain-and-plantar-fasciitis-can-be-solved-without-surgery)** ## The problem with most solutions to foot pain (and other painful areas for that matter) is the solution is solely focused on the foot itself. Most people are used to a linear thought process when it comes to pain in the body. In other words, if they have a pain in their foot, the problem must be in the foot. Sometimes the problem IS located in the foot. The clue that reveals the foot problem is local, is that treatment directed to the foot itself relieves the problem and the pain goes away. Conversly, if you have tried multiple treatments for your foot pain or plantar fasciitis unsuccessfully, you likely have a problem in your foot AND additional causation elsewhere. **Common medical foot pain treatments are:** - Braces and Casts - Ultrasound - Laser - Extracorporal Pulse Activation Technology (EPAT) - Injections - Iontophoresis - Medication - Orthotic Devices - Physical Therapy - Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP) - Surgery ## When you have foot pain that is resistant to the treatments listed above, it is time to think outside the proverbial box.  In my case, my foot pain had multiple causes. Stubborn foot pain patients who have successfully conquered their foot pain have had multiple underlying causes. Once the impediments to healing foot pain are identified and handled with the appropriate treatment, success is achieved.  Perhaps the most common cause is a viscious cycle set up by the foot pain itself.  Basically the nerves that trigger a pain response (called small diameter afferent [SDA] nerves) are actually registering the pain in a part of the brain called the parietal lobe. The longer the pain nerve pathway is activated, the easier it is for the pain pathway to fire.   Often the nerves that send normal sensations from the nerve endings in the foot are damaged. This cause is common in neuropathy due to diabetes, chemotherapy, gluten intolerance damage, etc. The way our body is wired is quite interesting when it comes to pain. As it turns out, the normal sensation nerves (called large diameter afferent [LDA} nerves)  when functioning as intended, turn on circuitry that inhibits pain both in our spinal cord and in our brain.  When the normal sensation nerves are compromised for whatever reason, the pain nerves become active.  This situation is the reason why patients who consult my office receive a functional nerve evaluation for their foot pain, including plantar fasciitis. [![Functional Nerve Evaluation For Foot Pain](https://www.helpmychronicpain.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/Neurokinetic-Chain-Blog.jpeg?width=640&name=Neurokinetic-Chain-Blog.jpeg "Functional Nerve Evaluation For Foot Pain")](https://www.helpmychronicpain.com/blog/foot-pain-and-plantar-fasciitis-can-be-solved-without-surgery) Another area that can cause foot pain is a problem in your lower back area of your spine. If you weren't aware,  the nerves that enable you to feel and control your feet come from your lower back. In fact the nerves that go to your feet are a branch off the sciatic nerve. If you have any abnormal function or damage to your lower back you could have foot pain. Part of my thorough evaluation is to determine if there is any involvment of the lumbar spine. ## **Additional areas of investigation necessary to solve the mystery of chronic foot pain and plantar fasciitis are: ** 1. A functional muscle evaluation to determine if any of the muscles that concern the feet are weak or too short. 2. A joint function assessment to determine if the foot and ankle joints have lost their ability to have normal end range of motion called joint play. 3. Evaluation of imaging (either x-ray, CT or MRI) to visualize the extent and nature of any foot anatomy derangements.  4. A questionnaire that helps me understand the dietary habits and overall health of the systems of the body (holisitic approach) ## If the information from the assesments reveal nothing that requires medical or surgical intervention, chronic foot pain and plantar fasciitis will likely respond to my multi-modal comprehensive treatment approach. The "recipe" I use to help people recover from chronic foot pain is a multi-modal one. This approach means I layer several treatment strategies that are aimed at helping the various issues I found during the evaluation. Typical methods employed are the following: ### HOPEFULLY NOW YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THE PROCESS WE USE TO HELP PATIENTS with chronic foot pain or plantar fasciitis ACHIEVE RESOLUTION TO THEIR foot PAIN WITHOUT RESORTING TO SURGERY. OF COURSE,  THERE ARE PATIENTS WHO HAVE ACCUMULATED ENOUGH foot DAMAGE THAT THEIR ONLY RECOURSE IS SURGERY, BUT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS RESEARCH VALIDATED AND CLINICALLY PROVEN METHOD.  Don't keep this information a secret. Tell your friends and family that there is a solid non-surgical answer for chronic foot pain. Send them to [www.MichiganFootHelp.com](http://www.MichiganFootHelp.com) today.  [![I Would Like To See If You Can Help My Foot Pain](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/67234/02f735c8-0cd3-4ce2-97f9-f3c9ac32cfad.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/67234/02f735c8-0cd3-4ce2-97f9-f3c9ac32cfad) *The trademark Trigenics**®** is owned by the International Institute of Trigenics**®** Inc.  Johnson Chiropractic Neurology & Nutrition is a licensee of the trademark --- For more details about the natural approach I take with my patients, take a look at the book I wrote entitled: [Reclaim Your Life; Your Guide To Revealing Your Body's Life-Changing Secrets For Renewed Health](https://www.helpmychronicpain.com/reclaim-your-life/). It is available in my office or at [Amazon](http://amzn.to/TmPgZW) and many other book outlets. If you found value in this article, **please use the social sharing icons at the top of this post and please share with those you know** who are still suffering with chronic health challenges, despite receiving medical management. Help me reach more people so they may regain their zest for living! Thank you! ## ALL THE BEST – [DR. KARL R.O.S. JOHNSON, DC](https://www.helpmychronicpain.com/about-me) – DIGGING DEEPER TO FIND SOLUTIONS  --- **References:** 1. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15523898](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15523898) 2. [http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/plm.2014.3.issue-3/plm-2013-0063/plm-2013-0063.xml](http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/plm.2014.3.issue-3/plm-2013-0063/plm-2013-0063.xml) 3. [http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02763980](http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02763980) 4. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24831690](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24831690) 5. [http://www.klaser.co.uk/files/KLaser-Calcaneal-Repair.pdf](http://www.klaser.co.uk/files/KLaser-Calcaneal-Repair.pdf) 6. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9111460](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9111460) 7. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8320274](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8320274) 8. [http://www.eurjmedres.com/content/19/1/37](http://www.eurjmedres.com/content/19/1/37) 9. [http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/02/02/anti-inflammatory-foods-herbs-spices.aspx](http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/02/02/anti-inflammatory-foods-herbs-spices.aspx)  10. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2565620/](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2565620/) 11. Mennell, John. Joint Pain, Little Brown and Company, 1983 12. 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Johnson, DC, BCN **| 51735 Van Dyke Avenue Shelby Township, MI 48316 | For appointments call: 586-731-8840 Use of this site constitutes your agreement to our [Terms of Service](https://www.helpmychronicpain.com/terms-of-service) and [Privacy Practices](https://www.helpmychronicpain.com/privacy-policy) [© 2021 Johnson Chiropractic Neurology & Nutrition](https://www.helpmychronicpain.com/terms-of-service)   Notice: Dr. Karl R.O.S. Johnson, DC, BCN, DNMSc, FICPA, FIFHI is state licensed by the chiropractic board in Michigan to provide conventional chiropractic health care services and is also certified by the International Association of NeuroMetabolic Professionals to provide natural health services and therapies. The services provided to clients are intended to improve the adaptive physiology of the client through nutritional, exercise, lifestyle and physiological education, information, recommendations, and training. Conventional chiropractic and neurometabolic services are completely separate services and each is provided in strict compliance with the rules and regulations set forth by the separate agencies. If you wish to receive natural health services you must first sign a Client Services Agreement.