Sharp Heal Pain or Numbness

Planter fascitis is the sharp heel pain or numbness caused by irritation of the tissue that runs the length of your sole—can result from drastic increases in mileage when jogging or lack of flexibility in the muscles in your calves, hamstrings, and hips. I’ve found standing for long periods on hard surface floors irritates the problem, no matter what type of shoes I wear.

Massaging your foot by rolling a tennis ball under each foot, from heel to toe, can help relax the foot and increase flexibility. Another exercise: flex foot back, arching top of toes toward front of ankle, causing the muscles in the back of calves to stretch. Also, standing on the edge of a step, and doing tip-toe flexes (up and down on the ball of the foot) will help.