Tennis elbow or even known as Lateral Epicondylitis, is a condition that occurs on the lateral side of the forearm, at the elbow’s high. A common cause is repetitive motions of the wrist and arm. Tennis Elbow refers to how common this condition can be in tennis players. Said so, Lateral Epicondylitis is a condition that can affect anyone. As per Golfer’s Elbow, the pain starts from the elbow area, in this case from the lateral side, and can irradiate down the arm to the wrist. Rest and counter medication can help relieve symptoms. In some cases, surgery is required. Tennis Elbow Symptoms The pain generated by the tennis elbow may radiate down the forearm along the lateral side (thumb side). In addition to the pain, you may experience weakness too. Here is a list of actions that may be difficult to do Shake hands or grip an object Turn a door handle Hold a cup of water Book now your next appointment to restore the mobility of your Tennis Elbow Causes Tennis Elbow As Lateral Epicondolytis is overuse and strain of muscle, it is caused by repeated contraction of the forearm muscles extensor. These repetitive stretches and movements can lead to tiny tears in the tendon tissue, creating inflammation and pain within the elbow area. Playing tennis with the pour technique often replicates this condition, especially using repeated backhand strokes. Many other common motions can cause tennis elbow. Here is an extended list: Using plumbing tools, which require strong grips Painting Using screwdrivers Food preparation, especially when the knife is not sharp Working in the office using a mouse for long hours Treatment Options At Melbourne Massage and Treatment, Giovanni offers a variety of options for treating Lateral Epicondylitis. MLD may be the most recommended per inflammation of tendons and muscles. Thanks to the light touch and repetitive movement, MLD stimulates the Lymphatic System directly, which takes care of the inflamed area. Combining Myotherapy, Remedial Massage or Thai Massage technique with MLD can help even release more tension along the arm and elbow. Tennis Elbow Exercises In addition to the massage technique offered at Melbourne Massage and Treatment, exercises placed as per usual a crucial role in recovery. Specifically, we can look in too eccentric exercises, which slow, lengthening muscle contractions. Here is a link to eccentric exercises for the Tennis Elbow. As you may notice in this video, the extension motion of the wrist is supported by the other hand. By doing so, the extensor muscle of the forearm that needs training is not working hard. So the actual strengthening happens in the wrist’s flexion when the extensor muscles are stretching under the extra pressure of the weight.
Tag Archives: wellbeing
Blog
Hormones and Menopause: What is happening?
Menopause is a crucial step in a woman’s life. Menopause marks the time when a [...]
Continue readingMar
Blog
How Strength Exercises Can Help With Bone Density
Bone density is a key factor in bond fracture prevention. Bone is made of cells [...]
Continue readingMar
Blog
How Lymphatic Drainage Massage Can Help with Menopause Symptoms?
Menopause is a natural transition in every woman’s life, which marks the end of a [...]
Continue readingMar
Blog Melbourne Massage and Treatment
Body scans as a Diagnostic Tools
Musculoskeletal pain can be complex, and orthopedic tests and hands-on treatment, sometimes, can be a [...]
Continue readingMar
Blog
Meralgia Paresthetica: Causes, Symptoms, and Myotherapy Treatment
Meralgia Paresthetica is a condition characterized by numbness, tingling, and burning pain in the outer [...]
Continue readingMar
Sep
Golfer’s Elbow also known as “medial epicondylitis” is an inflammation of the tendons that originates from the medial elbow side. The pain sensation can be local or spread along the forearm till down the wrist. Indeed, Golfer’s Elbow is similar to a tennis elbow, which occurs on the lateral side of the elbow. Both these conditions are not limited to those who play golf or tennis but can affect anyone who does repetitive movement their for usually builds pain usually builds up with time and can get quite intense if the condition is not looked after. Therefore, rest, massage and specific exercises are well recommended. Golfer’s Elbow Symptoms Pain: The area of pain as described above is around the medial side of the elbow and can spread down the forearm to the wrist Stiffness: The area of inflammation controls the forearm flexors, indeed, making a fist or flexing the fingers/wrist can be difficult or painful. Even the elbow can feel stiff in movement. Weakness: Due to the pain, you may experience weakness in the affected arm/forearm Numbness or tingling: Along the medial side of the elbow, pass the Ulnar nerve, which can refer to the ring finger and pinky finger with numbness or tingling sensation. Risk factors for Golfer’s Elbow Here below is the risk factors list for Golfer’s Elbow: Age 40 or older Doing repetitive movement of wrist/elbow daily Obese If this post talks to you, book your next massage session now. Golfer’s Elbow Treatment Option The treatment options for Golfer’s Elbow are many. Along Melbourne Massage and Treatment Services, MLD can be the least invasive and recommended. The gentle touch and repetitive mechanical stimulation of the cutaneous nervous system can help reduce inflammation, stimulate relaxation, and reduce swellings in the area. Said so, as MLD can have several absolute and partial contraindications. This treatment can not be applied to all. So other services such as Myotherapy, Remedial Massage or Thai Massage are more recommended. The treatment would aim to work on the surrounding area of the inflamed tendon to improve the tone of the forearm flexors. Medications such as anti-inflammatories can also be considered for this condition, especially when rest is impossible due to work commitments. Therefore, you better talk to your GP about the medication option.
Aug
Myofascial Dry Needling (MDN) treats sore muscles and trigger points. How does Dry Needling work? As discussed in another blog post, muscles are made of many individual fibres. As the fibre contract and stretches, this does give the muscle the ability to have strength and elasticity. Along with repetitive movements and lack of posture, the muscle fibres can accumulate tension that we generally call knots. Those “knots” are also known as trigger points. This is one of the many theories behind the formation of trigger points. Said so, a trigger point is a terminology used to describe a painful spot. And still, nowadays, there is no exact explanation for how trigger point forms and what exactly they are. But what we know for sure is that not everyone develops trigger points in the same spot. Now, to release the tension out of the trigger points, we can either apply external pressure, with the thumb or the elbow, in case of a Remedial Massage or even the knee or the heel of the foot with a Thai Massage, or we can break the fibres from within by using a needle. What a needle is like? The needles used in this practice have a diameter from 0.15 to 0.25mm, so really thin needles. Whereas the length can vary from 15mm to 90mm. Depending on the target muscle, the length of the needle is different. So, as we penetrate the muscle with the needle, we brake the fibre, and we recall an inflammatory response from the patient’s immune system. Which drives more blood and nutrients to the target area. As discussed further in this study published on PubMed, Dry Needling is effective for chronic non-specific neck pain 1. Is dry needling safe? Yes, it is, as long as the practitioner offering the service is qualified for it, and well knows the anatomy of the muscles. Said so, when you receive dry needling, there are a few things that you may want to consider. Firstly you better not have any metal allergy. Also, Dry Needling is not recommended if you have just done any strong physical activity or training, as the muscles would be in an acute inflammatory stage. In addition to this, other contraindications are: If the patient is on a blood thinner Diabetes type 1 The area is affected by Lymphedema The patient is unable to give the consent The patient would not be able to stay still as the needle is in the body Book now, your next Myotherapy session at Melbourne Massage and Treatment, Fitzroy North Clinic. How long the needle stays in the body? Depending on the area needing treatment, the needle may stay in the body for 3 to 10 minutes. And always based on the target muscle that needs to be treated would also depend on the type of treatment. Indeed, the needle could be placed in the muscle and left there to sit and create the physiological response needed, or it could even be partially extracted, moved around and placed back. This type of technique is called “peppering”. Peppering along a dry needling session allows the therapist to target other fibres around the muscle fibre area. 1. Cerezo-Téllez E, Torres-Lacomba M, Fuentes-Gallardo I, Perez-Muñoz M, Mayoral-Del-Moral O, Lluch-Girbés E, Prieto-Valiente L, Falla D. Effectiveness of dry needling for chronic nonspecific neck pain: a randomized, single-blinded, clinical trial. Pain. 2016 Sep;157(9):1905-1917. DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000591. PMID: 27537209.
Muscle and Tendon are two types of fibres that connect bonds, allowing the joint to be moved by contracting or extending. Muscles and Tendons characteristics. A muscle consists of fibres of muscle cells covered by fascia, bundled with many more fibres, surrounded by thick protective tissue. So each muscle fibre is covered in the fascia, then wrapped as a whole muscle in more fascia. A tendon is a high-tensile-strength band of dense fibery connective tissue. Indeed tendons can transmit the mechanical forces of muscle to the skeletal system. Tendons, as per ligaments, are made of collagen fibres. Compared to a tendon, a muscle is elastic and sits in between 2 tendons parts which keep the muscle itself connected to bonds. So yes, muscles are not directly connected to bond themself. Luckily, there is to say, because if this was the case, it would be really easy to suffer from injuries like a muscle tear. Said so, it is now easy to understand that tendons are capable of holding more force. Injury type Due to the consistency of the tendon and its functionality, we can now understand why a tendon tear or rupture is a severe injury that requires surgical intervention and months of rehabilitation. On the other hand, often, after months of rehabilitation, still, the tendon would not go back to its original state. A common tendon rupture is Achille’s tendon. Achille’s tendon connects the lower part of the Gastrocnemius and Soleus to the foothill. Repetitive movement and repetitive partial load on this tendon are the leading cause of injury. Healthy muscle and tendon Simple and gentle exercises are a good way to keep your muscle and tendon out of trouble. The key points of these types of exercises are: Consistency Resisted load (by using rubber bands) Starting with light weight to then building up with time heavier load Good posture doing the exercises Have a day of rest from exercises once a week Avoid exercises that aggravate your pain. Said so, other critical points for muscle and tendons good health seating into: Having a good night’s rest Eating more fresh food than overprocessed food Regarding recovery from an injury, as previously mentioned in the ice pack and/or heat pack posts, the usage of temperature is recommended based on the stage of the injury and the pain experienced with it. Even though on an inflamed tendon, never apply a heat pack. Are you in need of treatment? Don’t look any further, and book your initial consultation by clicking here.
Jul
In a previous blog, we did talk about heat packs, now it is time to talk about the Ice Pack. Ice pack application, in the last few years, is a practice that got reviewed. What Ice Pack is about? An Ice pack, as the name says, is a cold (icy) bag. As better explained in this study an ice pack is something that can be applied to an acute injury, to prevent swelling and reduce pain, but it can’t be used for too long. As per the heat pack, an Ice Pack burn the skin, and that’s one reason why its usage has to be short (10 to 15mins at a time). In addition, extended exposure to icy temperatures, would reduce the blood flow around the injured tissue and can also damage nerves. Ice Pack usage recommendation: You have a new injury or aggravation of an existing condition, and the pain is above 7 out of 10. Where you want to minimize swelling to keep you mobile later. There are different types of Ice packs: Home-made one, ice from the freezer wrapped in a towel. Gel pack Ice Bag (as per the photo) Instant one – most of the time found in the first aid kit. Snap it and a chemical reaction would occur in the bag and freeze the bag. Those last ones are efficient as you can store them anywhere safely and use them as you need them. The cold lasts for about 20 minutes. Not to be used if they are broken. On the other hand, if you running out of ideas of what to use as a Cold pack, you can even use a bag of frozen food. Still would do the work. We have the ice bath and the cold show related to this topic. I did experience cold showers myself, most of the time not of my choice, but because of a limited supply of hot water, and I have to say that even on this topic, there are a series of debates on how that works and if it’s beneficial. So far, a cold shower, compared to a hot shower, is better for dry skin. This is because the heat of the water combined with soap can wash away the good oils of the skin. Then the benefit of an Ice bath can be more of a placebo effect. But again, I haven’t done much digging about myself, so I would stay out of any comment regarding it. Ice pack after a Massage? Well, as mentioned above, the usage of Ice Pack is suggested after an acute injury. So, either after a Remedial Massage or a Thai Massage, firstly there should be no acute injury, secondly, you want the blood flow along the worked area to stay active and not restricted. That’s why a heat pack would be more recommended. If you find this helpful information and need a massage, book your next session here.
Jul
A muscle tear is an acute injury caused by a laceration of the muscle cells/fibres and or tendon to which the muscle is attached to. How can happen a muscle tear? A muscle tear happens when a muscle is weak and don’t activate at the right time. Weak muscles are common in repetitive movement or when a muscle overcompensates due to a fragile pattern. For example, tearing a hamstring is expected when the Gluteal Firing pattern is incorrect. This type of injury is common in sports activities. Still, it can also happen within a home environment by lifting a box incorrectly or during garden activities. The three grades of muscle tear. Grade 1 muscle tear is the mildest one. As per this case, only a few muscle cells have been torn. Symptoms are like: mild pain, moderate swelling, none or light bruising. In grade 2, a moderate amount of muscle cells have been damaged. Symptoms are like: Bruising is now more evident as per the swelling You must luckily hear a sound as the tear happens More severe pain, especially when trying to use that muscle. Grade 3 is the worst-case scenario. In grade 3 muscle tear, the muscle has fully torn. Still, a pop or a sound would happen as the tear happens. On the opposite side of where the muscle did lacerate, you will notice a bulge as the muscle coiled up after tearing. Weakness in using the limb where the muscle got torn. In case of a Grade 3 muscle tear, surgery is needed to reattach the muscle. How to treat a muscle tear? The immediate appliance of heat or cold packs is highly debated. A cold pack would numb the area and help with the pain symptoms. As mentioned in the “Ice Pack” blog post, that is actually recommended. On the other hand, a heat pack would help stimulate blood circulation in the affected area, reduce swelling, and boost recovery. It’s important to note that applying a heat pack too soon after an injury can actually make things worse. It’s best to wait until the acute phase has passed, which typically takes around 48 hours. At that point, heat therapy can be a helpful way to alleviate pain and promote healing. Regarding massage treatments, MLD can be the only technique used as soon as the tear happens. Indeed MLD would be highly recommended for boosting the recovery, especially in case of a tear in 3rd grade, where operation is needed. In case of a 3rd-grade muscle tear, the first thing to do is see a doctor. Other massage techniques, such as Myotherapy, Remedial Massage and Thai Massage, are still valuable for muscle tears. On the other hand, either Myotherapy, Remedial or Thai Massage can only be practised after 48 hours of rest are passed after the incidents. Indeed that 48 h is considered the acute phase of the muscle tear. How to prevent a muscle tear? More the body moves, the less the chance of injury. Making sure to do simple exercises involving basic body movement can help in muscle tear prevention. but not only. Keeping the joint moving is another essential aspect of injury prevention. How can massage help? Along with a massage treatment, the area of focus will be the torn muscle and surrounding area. Initially, the technique used with a massage treatment, especially for the injured area, would be MFTT and passive movement/mobilisation. That would help muscle recovery and facilitate joint mobility, reducing the muscle’s load. Going ahead with the treatments, techniques such as MET, a resisted muscle force technique, can be used. This would allow the muscle to gain elasticity. Book your next session by clicking here if you are suspicious of a muscle tear and need treatment.
Jun
Lymph nodes (or lymph glands) are small lumps of tissue containing white blood cells that fight infection. They are part of the body’s immune system and filter lymph fluid, composed of water and waste products from body tissues. Introduction to Lymph Nodes Lymph nodes are located in different body areas. On average, we have approx 600 LN. In the neck area only, we find 160 LN itself. LN can vary in size and go from 2 to 30 mm. Lymph Nodes are connected by vessels, better known as afferent and efferent vessels. The afferent vessels carry the lymph to the lymph node, and the efferent vessels take the lymph away from the lymph nodes. So, the lymph nodes are also connected directly to the blood system, veins, and arteria. What is a lymph node made of? Despite the structures that enter and leave the lymph node, these cleaning stations are made of: Connective tissue capsule Supporting strands of connective tissue inside Below the marginal sinus, there are clusters of lymphocytes lymphoid follicles Artery, vein and nerve As for the filtering station, the lymph node is essential to ensure that no bacteria, viruses or dirt can access the blood system. Where we find no lymph nodes in the brain. Indeed, the lymph fluid around this area gets drained by the Optic and Olfactory nerve. Following then the position of the lymph nodes, we can define the watershed. MLD and Lymph Nodes. Lymph Nodes can occasionally be swollen, which happens when the body fights an infection. In my practitioner experience, I often have to refer to the lymph node concept to introduce the client to MLD treatment. Not many clients know about this technique; they are more familiar with Myotherapy or Thai Massage and Remedial Massage. Said so, the client who tried MLD are all well impressed with its benefit. During an MLD session, what happens is that with a gentle stretch and recoil of the skin, I help your lymphatic system to work faster. Consequently, that’s how swollen area gets reduced. In pushing your lymphatic system to work harder, the lymph node would receive more liquid to process. On the other hand, knowing where the lymph nodes are, is essential to ensure we push the lymph liquid in the right direction. If you haven’t booked your appointment yet and wish to set a goal for MLD, please follow this link.
Jun
Calf muscles make up the lower posterior portion of the leg. Calf Muscles are: 2 are the calf muscles, the Gastrocnemius and Soleus. Below is a table with Gastrocnemius and Soleus’s Origin, Insertion and Action. Gastrocnemius Origin The posterior surface of the lateral and medial condyle of the femurs Insertion Calcaneus via calcaneus tendon Action Flex the knee Plantar flex the ankle Soleus Origin Soleal line; the proximal posterior surface of the tibia and posterior aspect of the head of the fibula Insertion Action Plantar flex the ankle So, due to their origins and insertions, we can clearly understand how the Gastrocnemius is involved in knee flexion and how the Soleus is not. The Gastrocnemius does across the knee, as it originates from the femur itself. On the other hand, the Soleus doesn’t cross the knee, so it doesn’t play any role at the knee level. This aspect is so important to differentiate what of these 2 muscles are involved in the restrictive movement at the ankle, and or in calf pain. Calf Muscles testing Firstly the patient is lying down in a supine position (face up) doing active dorsiflexion. Secondly, we will ask the patient to lie in a prone position (face down), and we knee bend (passively), they would go in ankle dorsiflexion again. What happens there is when the knee is flexed passively, the Gastrocnemius is deactivated, and so the ankle dorsiflexion is happening by pulling the soleus only. Now, 2 are the case scenarios that could happen: Still a limited range of motion at ankle dorsiflexion with or without pain A better quality of ROM with a greater angle in dorsiflexion. In the first case, the tension muscles could still be both. In the second case, the Gastrocnemius is clearly the muscle limiting the ROM. For ankle ROM in dorsiflexion, we are looking for a minimum of 20° to up to 30°. It is not all about Muscle Pain. But can calf pain be related to something else and not just to muscle pain? The answer is YES. Calf muscle pain can be a RED FLEG for Deep Veins Thrombosis (DVT), especially after a flight. DVT Symptoms: Sharp pain; Heat at the touch; Soreness at the touch; Redness on the skin. In this case, you want to contact your GP immediately. Massages are absolute contraindications. In conclusion, for a full calf or muscle recovery, we want to look in too some exercises. Remedial Massage, Myotherapy, and Thai Massage are great ways to reduce pain and manage symptoms, but exercises are essential actually to heal a muscle. Indeed, when we talked about plantar fasciitis, those exercises are something that we can look at for calf strengthening.
May
When experiencing pain around the head, we talk about Headaches. Headache is a common condition, and for most cases, is not considered a serious illness. Migraine and headache. 4.9 million Australians experience migraine. Migraine is a specific type of headache, so consider that the number stated above is still a small figure. Headache and muscle. If you ever experience a headache, you may notice that the pain sensation does start from your cervical area. Or, by confronting yourself with who is around you, your headache pain pattern, is consistent, but it is different from the one of someone else. On the other hand, you may associate headaches to the result of a heavy drinking night, or of lack of water (which is why you get headaches after a heavy drinking night, by the way), but often headaches are there because of cervical muscle tightness. Wait, what? Yes, you did read right. How can we define then if the headaches come from muscle tension? So in order for this to happen, the muscle responsible for referring its pain up to the head must be tight or stretched out, and loaded with trigger points. As massage therapists, especially in the first consultation session, we would ask about headaches and if there are any, “where about do you feel the headache”? Indeed, the answer to this question is most luckily the giveaway to know which muscle is may responsible for your headaches. To confirm the suspicions, we would then assess your posture, looking for any muscular-skeletal unbalance, and then we would assess the Range of Motion (ROM). If the ROM show up to be limited on the muscle that we believe is responsible for the pain in the head, then most luckily we are halfway through the solution. I do say halfway through, a single massage session either Myotherapy, Remedial Massage, Thai Massage, or MLD is maybe not enough to release all the tension that is in needs to be alleviated to eradicate the headache. Said so, no journey starts, without doing the first step, isn’t it? When a headache is a Red Flag? For red flags, we refer to symptoms that may be present due to serious illness or condition. Some example includes clients who had a clinical history of stroke and or brain cancer, a recent car accident or recent head trauma, or blurred vision. If that’s the case, the next step is referring the client to a GP immediately for further investigation. What about the cervical muscle tension headaches type of presentation? As already mentioned in another blog post, the Occipital muscle can have headache type of pain in the lower section of the posterior side of the skull. If we then look into the area of the skull that seat above the ear, could be more tension from the Upper trap or Levator Scapulae. By keep moving more medially and above the head, Splenius cervis can refer to the medial superior side of the head and Splenius capitis to the middle top side of the head. Sternocleidomastoid, indeed, can refer to the frontal lobe of the skull. Now, all these muscles are sitting on the neck and throat and from above the shoulder. So, ensuring that those areas are free or not overloaded with tension can help in staying headache-free. Now, in this blog post, we are keeping the headache presentation type of pain to its simple aspects. On the other hand, the topic can be further discussed in person with Giovanni during your next massage appointment. Book now your next massage session, if you are trying to get to sort out your headache presentation. Other approaches to a headache-free life, out of massage therapy. There is a series of things that complimentary massage can help with to relieve headache pain. Exercises Keep yourself hydrated Good posture when seating and standing Good variety of food as diet intake Wearing glasses if needed. Meditation for stress management In conclusion, headache is a really common problem for all Australians, for both women and men. Don’t wait for your symptoms to get worse; you may not need to take medicine all the time if you have a headache, as the medicine will just numb the symptom but will not sort out the problem. If you are keen to learn more about where your headache may be coming from, book your next Massage Session today.
In the previous post, we did look into plantar fasciitis and we only mention the Corrective Exercises for Plantar Fasciitis. Indeed, we did get to the conclusion that Myotherapy, Remedial Massage and Thai massage can help in reducing muscle tensions, for those muscles which take part in the foot’s unbalance, and that MLD can help in reducing the pain and reducing the inflammation within the plantar itself. What’s the role of the Corrective Exercises for Plantar Fasciitis? Exercises are a crucial step to take for a successful healing process. Corrective exercises for plantar fasciitis can be simply practised at home, without the aid of a personal trainer to follow you. In fact, corrective exercises are often simple movements, that require precision more than strength. Furthermore, is better to start slowly and gradually implement more difficult exercises and extra load. Indeed, the corrective exercises world is a step-by-step journey. If this post is talking to you, book your next massage session by clicking here. Corrective Exercises for Plantar Fasciitis: Foam rolling below the foot. Take a seat on a chair and start gently rolling the affected feet along on the foam roller. The bigger the foam roller, the gentler the exercises, due to lower pressure. If you have no foam roller, you can use a tennis ball too. The aim of these exercises is to gently self-massage the plantar of the feet and stimulates blood circulation within it. Plantar pressure with a towel. Always in a seated position, roll a towel on itself, and by holding it with both hands, put the towel under the foot. Start pulling the towel against the plantar of the feet Pull and hold for 15 to 30 secs about Drag the towel with the toes. Place a towel on the floor. The backside of the towel will be right below your toes Now gently, start grabbing the towel with your toes These exercises will reinforce the flexors muscles of the toes, in specific Flexor hallucis longus and Flexor digitorum longus, with the aim to improve the arch below the foot Single Calf Raise For this exercise, you will need a small stool or an Aerobic Step Kit Step with the front of the feet on the Areboic Step and start pushing up through the foot. For safety, you may wanna hold yourself to a wall with your hands You can start doing 1 foot at a time to increase the load. These exercises would create strength in the plantar flexor muscle of your foot. Along with the same muscles that do plantarflexion, there are the ones that do eversion and toes flexion too. In specific Perenous Longus, Perenous Brevis (eversion) and Flexor hallucis longus and Flexor digitorum longus (Toes flexion) If you suffer from plantar fasciitis because of an excess load of the body weight on the external side of the foot, these exercises would help you in recreating balance in the body load on the foot. Said so, those are some of the exercises that can be done. Few more are out there. If specific to your condition, you may want to do some exercises more than others. Most important is to have someone diagnose you with the specification of the condition and then suggest to you what exercises are the best. Plantar Fasciitis is a chronic condition, that with the right exercise and determination can be fixed. If you need help with it, don’t hesitate to book now your next session with Melbourne Massage and Treatment. And what about Orthotic Insole? The orthotic insole can be a quick-release type of approach for foot pain. On the other hand, orthotic insoles are most luckily the more common and misunderstood tool for foot pain. Yes, good to quickly reduce severe symptoms, but by itself is not going to fix the problem. Indeed, before spending hundreds of dollars on Orthodics, give a fair trial to exercises.