Symptoms are usually worse as the day goes on and may be relieved by elevating (raising) your foot, rest or massage. We are not talking sweet gentle massage here–You want deep pressure into the muscles in the arch of your foot to really “get into” the muscle.

Injury to your foot or ankle can cause TTS, possibly because of scar tissue that develops. People with flat feet can also develop Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome because walking flat-footed puts a strain on the muscles of the arch. The muscle in the arch of your foot can press on the nerve that causes the TTS symptoms.  That’s what causes the symptoms.

If you do have flat feet or fallen arches, a custom orthotic (arch support) or good rigid arch support may relieve your symptoms.  Arch supports can be used along with therapeutic massage.

I am not a doctor but my first recommendation is always the one that causes the least trauma or change to a body. That would be deep tissue massage and trigger point massage,  in most cases.

Probably 90% of our pain is caused by muscles so that is generally my first plan of attack. On the other hand, sometimes surgery is required, for example, to remove a bone chip. On the other hand, sometimes it LOOKS like a bone chip or other situation when tests are examined but treating the muscles with massage or a cortisone shot relieves the pain of the “bone chip.”

If you have normal strength and movement in your body, hands & arms, you may be able to press deeply into your arch muscles. If you cannot apply enough pressure yourself (if you can’t “hurt” yourself enough) then interview professional massage therapists to find one who is familiar with TTS and can treat it.

Go into the “Massage” Category here at http://SimplePainRelief.com to learn how to find a massage therapist who can actually help you.

If you have surgery scheduled, you may want to postpone your surgery for a month to give yourself the chance to have your symptoms treated by a massage therapist. You should know within a couple of sessions. Once more I will tell you: Manual therapy (massage) with pressure into tight muscles will not be comfortable but may make a world of difference!

If you go the massage route, your therapist may look at your arches, your posture, the muscles in your lower back and gluteals (butt) and may treat all of those areas as well as your calves.  Tight calf muscles can cause pain in the heel, too.

I was wondering if I have tarsal tunnel syndrome or if it’s something else. Normally my feet don’t hurt, but when I excercise (especially jumping excercises) I get severe pain at the bottom of my foot (in the arch area). The pain is often really bad and this is preventing me from doing a lot of the exercises that I like. I also know that the pain is not caused by bad shoes, because it happens with all shoes, even running shoes. Does this sound like tarsal tunnel syndrome?

Here’s my response:

A “syndrome” is a bunch of symptoms. Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome refers to pain cause by pressure on the nerves that pass through the bones around the ankle.  That discomfort is pretty constant, to the best of my knowledge.  But yours comes on with exercise.  That makes me think of two possibilities:  It’s possible that you may need orthotics (arch supports) to support your arches while you jump/exercise.  If they are doing a lot of “flexing” with the movement, the muscles in the arches of your feet may be getting strained and complaining.

It’s also possible that tight calf muscles (which could be caused by jumping/aerobic exercises) are causing this pain in your arch. When you work a muscle hard, it becomes stronger–and shorter.  This could be causing your arch pain, too.  Calf muscles refer pain into the bottoms of feet.

And, it could be the combination of both events.

It may or may not be tarsal tunnel syndrome but here are some suggestions that would also apply to non-invasive natural treatment for Tarsal Tunnel:

Deeply massage the arch of each foot, looking for tender areas and applying pressure to them. Search the whole arch area and press into the areas where the bones and muscles meet (ball of foot and heel.)

You can “massage” your calf by rolling it on a tennis ball as you apply pressure, or on your opposite knee. If you find tender areas, that generally means tight muscles that need pressure or massage to “release” or relax them.

You can also take the time when your muscles are warmed up but before you begin your exercise to stretch your calves. Stretching muscles which have been warmed either with heat or gentle exercise (walking) is more productive than stretching cold muscles.  Take care not to over-stretch!

And, lastly, Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome is often treated medically with a good, sturdy arch support so that may be something to try.  If you “hit” your arch pain with all of these “weapons” you will probably find the source of the pain in your arch.

Oh Boy!  It surely can!  In fact, it does.

Poor, or collapsed, posture can cause pain in your head, neck, feet, legs, hips, upper and lower back. Why?  Because being out of muscular “balance” means that you are using muscles to do the job of bones.

With poor posture, your muscles are trying to hold you upright, but that’s the job of your bones. Muscles are for moving.  Bones are for supporting.

All of your muscles attach to bones.  When a muscle is overworked or overstretched because of poor posture, it causes pain.

Poor posture can even cause your organs–heart, lungs, intestines, stomach–to have difficulty functioning.  Why?  Because you are collapsing forward.  As you bend forward, all of your organs are compressed, or squashed.  It is much harder for your organs to do their best job when they are squashed.

What can you to to correct your posture?

One important thing is to get arch supports (orthotics) for your shoes if your feet are “flat.”

How can you tell if your arches are flat?

Stand up with your weight the same on both feet for 5 minutes.  Then assess:  Do you feel that most of the pressure on your feet is in your toes?  You need arch supports.  Get a pair with a “real” arch, something that will truly support you.

Feet are supposed to have arches.  They are the foundation of your skeleton.

Just like a building, we need a solid foundation.  If our foundation flattens, or collapses, the integrity of our building–our body–is compromised.  We get into trouble, and the trouble starts with poor, or collapsed posture.

A good pair of arch supports may feel as though you have a boulder under your foot.

Try to get a pair that actually fits to the shape or your foot.  You want them to put your feet into the arched position they used to have.  Take time to adjust to them.  Start with just an hour a day, then 2 hours.  Work your way up to wearing them all day.

Massage your feet by pressing the sole of your feet against a tennis ball, or golf ball, and rolling it back and forth, width-wise and length-wise.  Do this for 5 minutes for each foot.  After you do the first foot, you will have one happy foot.  You’ll have to do your other foot so it will be happy, too.  This helps relax your muscles and tendons and make it easier to adjust to your new arch supports.

There is more to do to correct your posture and get you back to feeling and functioning well, but arch supports are a good place to start.