Education
[lead]The human foot and ankle joint is a strong and complex mechanical structure. Made up of 26 bones, 33 joints and over 100 muscles, ligaments and tendons, they bravely bare our weight and incredible stress with every step we take.[/lead]
It’s no wonder foot and ankle injuries stemming from overuse, sprain, and painful conditions of the soft tissue, such as plantar fasciitis and Achilles Tendonitis aren’t uncommon. Pain and tightness after injury or post-surgery are also conditions that send millions of people searching for relief. Tightness and poor alignment of your feet and ankles can spread to imbalance and pain in your knees, hips and lower back. The bottom line is healthy feet and ankles can create a healthier pain-free you.
Imagine having your own FOOT MASSAGE anytime. You like many others will LOVE the deep tissue massage that AnkleSTONE provides. The massage ‘roll bar’ is fantastic for gentle or aggressive massage. The rough surface of the stone is ideal for therapeutic and invigorating pressure to stimulate blood flow and tissue. People delight with the rough feel of the stone that resembles a pumice stone for an invigorating rub. And you can have a massaging stretch right now as you work on your computer. Your joints and soft tissue require the Orthopedic tool for proper positioning and progressive stretch.
Prevent Injury by Stretching
Increasing the elasticity and flexibility of tendons has been shown to reduce injury. Intense activity like jumping, running and dancing put high loads on tendons. This is especially true for the Achilles tendon which often leads to injury. Regular stretching must be practiced to help avoid these types of injuries. The energy capacity of the lengthened tendons improves normal movement and especially athletic performance. As we navigate the ups and downs of our lives, flexible joints with a full range of motion will certainly minimize your potential for injury.
It is the biologic nature of soft tissue such as tendons, ligaments, even scar tissue to elongate and restore to full range and pain free status. It’s this‘plasticity’ of soft tissue that makes therapeutic stretching so effective for restoring range-of-motion and eliminating pain. Stretching changes the visco-elastic properties of muscle-tendon units which improves their stretch tolerance.
More people than ever before are searching for help with foot and ankle pain as the number of injuries grows due to a more active aging population and a greater emphasis on physical activity across all age groups increases. It’s no surprise the expected growth rate of podiatry is greater than the average for all other occupations through the year 2020.
Even with healthy aging, the forces of weight-bearing including standing at work and walking on hard surfaces day-after-day can result in painful conditions. After all, it’s known that on average, a person will have walked approximately 110,000 miles by his or her 80th birthday. That is calculated based on an average of 7500 steps per day. That’s like walking 5 times around the earth. NO WONDER YOUR FEET ACHE!
Medical Conditions of the Feet and Ankles
Plantar Fasciitis – Affects 10 percent of the population and accounts for about 1 million physician visits each year. The painful condition is especially prevalent in runners and athletes.
Professional basketball player statistics indicate that almost every player has had to deal with this condition. Eight out of ten of us suffer from plantar fasciitis. Excessive strain on the tendons and ligaments can produce severe pain when bearing weight.
AnkleSTONE is effective for providing relief from the discomfort and pain caused by Plantar Fasciitis because it provides the best stretch. Gentle, targeted, controlled throughout the length of the fascia and at the calcaneal attachment site of the soft tissue. That’s often the worst point of pain. By stimulating the layers of the foot, progressively stretching the involved tissues just as a therapist would, but with your control of body weight and desired position. AnkleSTONE provides many positions of therapeutic stretch and restorative deep tissue massage to relieve and recover from Plantar Fasciitis.
Achilles Tendon Injury – The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body. It is estimated that 230,000 people injure their Achilles tendon each year. The injury often persists as a ‘recurrent’ inflammatory issue.
To avoid musculoskeletal injury, overuse injury and over-demand injury, the tendon must be kept elastic and long. Common symptoms are pain, stiffness and swelling.
As we all want a non-surgical solution, it is fortunate that stretching therapy is an incredibly effective method of treatment. For active people, sudden running and jumping can cause Achilles Tendonitis, as you strain the tendon especially during aggressive physical activity. Maintaining ‘elasticity’ through regular stretching is key to reducing injury.
Common Injury among Athletes – According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 25 percent of athletic injuries are foot and ankle-related.
Athletes who jump and run are typically at higher risk. Sports such as basketball, soccer, running, football and dance place considerable demands on the feet and are susceptible to foot & ankle injury.
Post-Surgery – It is generally understood by doctors and surgeons that surgical procedures introduce additional scar tissue into ‘already damaged’ tissue. This added scar tissue is problematic and requires extensive recovery post-surgery for functional movement.
Stretching, along with necessary rest, helps you repair your range of motion much faster.
Bunion Corrective Surgery (also Ostetomy, arthrodesis) often results in difficulty to push off when walking due to stiff joints or corrective surgical tightening of ligaments and tendons.
Big Toe Restriction and Immobility – Walking requires push off… often the big toe doesn’t bend as it should to allow push off. Typically after surgery. Inflammatory scar tissue is laid down in healing but can result in significant restrictions in joint mobility. 
Without toe push-off during gait (walking), the foot does not perform as it should. A distorted pattern of walking will disturb the alignment of related joints and tissues. Toe and foot mal-alignment leads to knee pain, hip pain and low back pain due to the Heel Strike. Your heel takes the brunt of the force as you contact the floor with each heel strike (most weight bearing is distributed toward the lateral foot).
Diabetic Foot – Diabetic foot problems are a major health concern and a common cause of expensive hospitalization. Two serious complications of Diabetes are nerve damage (neuropathy) and poor circulation. Their consequences can be severe ranging from hospitalization, antibiotics and even amputation of the toes or foot. PREVENTION of damaging foot problems includes a regimen of daily inspection, general care plus flexibility exercise for added benefits. Improved range of motion can positively affect gait, pressure distribution and risk of foot ulceration.
Ankle Pain and Instability or Loss of Balance – Foot and ankle impairments affect balance and mobility in stroke patients, chemotherapy patients, patients with injury or post-surgery. Strength and range of motion of the foot and ankle have been shown to be related to measures of balance and risk of falling in older adults.
Balance is affected by musculoskeletal conditions of the foot and ankle.
AnkleSTONE Therapy & Exercise
Your doctor or physical therapist may recommend exercises to restore your foot strength and range of motion after surgery. AnkleSTONE provides a better way to stretch out tight tissues, to recover from contracture formation with proper positioning, and controlled joint load for progressive recovery at home.
The only current options for doctors to recommended are poor and ineffective makeshift home remedies and ineffective socks and plastic devices.
The only available options for doctors to recommend are poor and ineffective options:
Using cheap plastic Water Bottles that collapse and explode is ineffective for the deep tissue needs. Tennis balls under the foot to stretch are useless as they roll away and cause the foot to cramp in attempts to stop the ball from rolling away. Wall stretches are limited to one position and manual stretches of the foot are time consuming and offer limited stretching force.
The only products that have been available until recently are Socks and plastic devices that are awkward and unpopular often totally ineffective for truly altering soft tissue conditions.
Benefits of AnkleSTONE Therapy
- Speed recovery of your musculoskeletal system and improve mobility of lower extremities.
- Fractures, sprains, car accidents often involve the lower extremities, resulting in serious need for recovery. The resulting contractures, tight joints and movement restrictions must be overcome for full function to be restored.
- Return to sport or other activity by being proactive about your foot and ankle recovery.
Increased Blood Flow through movement – Increased blood flow is essential for healing. Many ineffective treatments out there only address the pain and not the underlying condition that is causing the pain.
AnkleSTONE™ therapy enables the mechanical stretch necessary to alter the length and flexibility of the tissue to allow for healing and increased range of motion for walking and general mobility. Stretching is made easier with controlled and proper positioning.
Stretching is progressive with the proper joint load to allow progressive recovery.
If you are attending therapy, AnkleSTONE will help you to gain range of motion, conveniently at home, between therapy visits. And will Speed your recovery by providing extra therapy sessions to augment the recovery. Shorter, controlled and frequent stretches are what will improve the elasticity of the soft tissue. AnkleSTONE enables you to do just that.
Deep tissue repair is possible with AnkleSTONE because it benefits the deep as well as the superficial layers of leg muscles and feet.
Overall Health – When the joints and bones of your feet and ankles are out of alignment, this misalignment transmits or spreads to the alignment of your knees, hips and back.
The arch of your foot is especially susceptible to pain as it bears your weight.
Why it’s Important to Exercise with AnkleSTONE™
The musculoskeletal system encompasses all of the physical structures necessary for movement, including the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons. Regular exercise, in combination with a healthy lifestyle, is the best way to keep all parts of the musculoskeletal system strong and healthy.
[su_pullquote]“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
– Albert Einstein
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AnkleSTONE™ Your Best Foot Forward™
The only all-in-one solution for foot and ankle pain and immobility. Ergonomically designed AnkleSTONE is proven to restore foot and ankle mobility, providing injury recovery, pain relief and improved functional movement, simply and effectively.
