Heel spur/plantar fasciitis

Heel spur, also known as plantar fasciitis, is one of the most widespread conditions caused by excessive foot strain in industrialized nations. Because of hard floors and inflexible, supporting shoes, a large portion of the load while walking and standing has to be borne by the heel.
This often leads to long-term pain and complaints in the area of the heel.
The solutions offered by medicine and the footwear industry are either extremely expensive, or tend to aggravate the problem in the long run because they only address the symptoms and not the causes.

Plantar fasciitis

Inflammation on the sole of the foot, more precisely at the insertion point of the plantar tendon to the heel bone. In more chronic cases of inflammation, a bony ganglion (spur) can form. These are called heel spurs.

Haglund’s deformity

Increased ossification of the posterior upper tendon insertion on the heel with complaints due to pressure from the edge of the shoe.

It is not important where the spur/ossification is located. The treatment for both clinical pictures is the same: It is important that the foot rolls over and that the shortened/stiffened musculature/tendons are mobilized. The kyBoot/kyBounder is ideal here.

Causes

Inflammation of the plantar fascia is the body’s reaction to excessive strain in this area. Plantar fasciitis is usually caused by too great a load on the painful point. The plantar fascias shorten and agglutinate as a result (the body wants to strengthen them in order to counteract the excessive strain). This puts even more pressure on the painful area.

One of the main causes of shortening of the plantar tendon is limited movement of the feet in everyday life. Since we usually walk on hard surfaces such as concrete and wear rigid shoes (e.g. business shoes with stiff soles or shoes with heels), freedom of movement for the feet is extremely restricted. As a result, most ankle joints are never really used fully. They appear superfluous to the body, and it begins adapting the feet – constructed by nature to be highly mobile – to everyday life in western civilization by stabilizing or ‘stiffening’ them.

Long-term consequences

In response to pain over many months, the body develops compensating mechanisms to relieve the painful area on the foot when the underlying problem is left untreated. Increased strain is placed on the sound foot, the affected individual begins limping and this leads to improper strain on other joints (the knee, hip, back ...). Since every person responds differently, many different compensating mechanisms are developed by affected individuals. This means various joints can be over-strained.

Conventional therapy

Most doctors prescribe a pad that is placed under the heel.

Orthopaedic insoles are also prescribed in some cases.

In physiotherapy, heel spur is treated with ultrasound and/or electrotherapy, trigger point therapy and massage, among other things. Exercises are used to actively stretch and strengthen the foot and lower leg muscles.

The kybun principle of operation – being proactive

When the plantar tendon is inflamed with/without a tear in the aponeurosis or heel spur, it is important to be gentle with the affected point so that it can heal. In the kyBoot, the foot is able to achieve a natural rollover on the soft, elastic sole. This results in gentle mobilization and stretching of the plantar tendon. This is important for the healing process because good circulation of the plantar tendon is achieved by rollover. Circulation, in turn, removes inflammatory substances from the tissue and promotes healing by providing a good supply of oxygen. The cause of the plantar tendon problem is thereby treated. Furthermore, when the kyBoot or the kyBounder is used, the weight of the foot is distributed over the entire sole of the foot, which reduces point pressure and relieves the heel.

Only plantar tendon therapy with stretching and mobilization provides relief for the painful point (heel spur at the tendon insertion), alleviating the inflammation.

Initial reactions

Due to the shortening of the calf musculature and the aponeurosis in the foot, pronounced stretching may occur, which can lead to inflammations. If this occurs with you, it is important to take breaks and/or integrate a ‘gentle trot’ with the kyBoot in your daily routine. It is better to walk in the kyBoot rather than stand, but it is absolutely essential to wear it regularly.

If the kyBoot is only worn occasionally, the stretching will not be maintained and inflammatory pain is always going to return.

Click here for the general initial reactions experienced by kyBounder and kyBoot beginners: Initial reactions

kybun exercises

For information about the special kyBoot exercises or the basic kyBounder exercises, please click here: kybun exercises

The following adaptations to the standard implementation of interval walking are important in case of heel spur:

1. Take short steps and avoid excessive rollover on the heel in order to prevent further irritation
2. Focus more on exercising slowly 
   – in case of severe pain, also walk backwards
3. Avoid excessive rollover during fast exercises (prevent irritation)

Application tips

The most important thing is to avoid any impact on the painful area of the heel if possible! This is best achieved in the beginning by taking small steps with the kyBoot or kyBounder and setting the heel down gently.

Then perform the rollover across the entire foot and push off over the big toe. This alternately stretches the aponeurosis in the sole of the foot and relaxes it in the swing phase.

If you feel the sole of your foot cramping, it is advised to relax the affected foot in the air while standing (move the foot in a circular motion, wiggle the toes, move the foot in all possible directions; whatever feels good to you).

We advise wearing the kyBoot without insoles. If you have orthopaedic insoles, you can put them in your ‘normal’ shoes and wear them during kyBoot breaks as passive relief for the feet. Many kyBoot users who used to wear insoles report that they no longer need them. But everybody will react differently!

Opinions/customer testimonials

See all here: kyBoot reviews

I had a problem with heel spurs. I couldn't walk any more. The doctor told me to walk for at most 20–30 minutes a day; no more walking uphill or downhill. And by coincidence I was in Bern and passed a kyBoot shop. So I went in and came out with a pair of kyBoot shoes. I put the shoes on straight away. They advise you not to wear the shoes too much at the start, but I've been wearing them since day one, and haven't had any problems in any of that time.
Dora Huguenin, museum tour guide in Le Locle, Switzerland 

All my life I have been looking for shoes, these shoes I met by chance after 20 years of searching for comfortable shoes. When I tried the shoes for the first time I had an acute problem in my right foot, a painful spur that caused me to limp. The moment I put my foot in the shoe I had stopped limping. Since then I do not take them off, I only wear them. These shoes have changed my life and improved its quality. They enable me to walk or stand 12 hours a day. I have no pain. All my orthopedic problems are still there but they do not bother me anymore.
Danny Katsir, kyBoot shop owner, Yavne 

I had a heel spur this summer, so I went to the chemist's and wailed that I needed some pills. Instead, the sales assistant gave me a pair of kyBoot shoes. I never took them off again. After that, I heard there was a kybun shop in Rüti, and since then I've bought another two pairs.
Barbara Pledl, works in the Luchsinger butcher’s shop, Switzerland 

In my work as a sales trainer, I stand pretty much every day for 8-10 hours. A few years ago, this created a real problem – tremendous pain in my feet. It started with incredibly sharp pain from the first step out of bed in the morning, and built strongly throughout the day, to the point I could barely focus on my work by lunchtime. My doctor told me it was a common ailment that affects people who stand or walk a lot, called plantar fasciitis. For years, I tried everything – softer shoes, inserts to reduce heel shock, sitting during my presentations, even acupuncture, but nothing worked. I spent thousands on these so-called “cures” without any relief. Then one day while walking (painfully) down the street in Oakville, Canada I came across a little sign that advertised “new Swiss shoes that promised tremendous walking comfort”. Inside the pharmacy, a very nice woman introduced me to the kyBoot. Wow, the pain in my heels was already less after just a couple of hours in the kyBoot. After returning to Switzerland, I bought a pair immediately and started wearing them in my day-to-day work. After 2 weeks, I noticed something amazing… I no longer felt my feet during the day. They were just there, comfortable, and happy. No pain, even after I took off my shoes in the evening. No pain in the morning when getting out of bed. I simply could not believe it. The pain in my feet is simply gone – it’s changed my life. Pain is no longer the focus of my every waking (or walking) minute and I can stand all day in my workshops in total comfort. I am thankful for this amazing invention. These are the most terrific shoes and they really have changed my life!
Gopal RajGuru, Nyon

I’m so impressed with these shoes. I used to have a heel spur and I’ve actually lost track of all the places I tried before resorting to private treatment. Let me tell you straight up that it was ridiculously expensive. I tried everything that my health insurance would cover and honestly, I was going around with a really bad heel spur for a year and a half. I just didn’t know where to go in the end. My husband and I really love hiking. But I just couldn’t go anymore so he had to go alone, which really upset me. I always thought that there must be something else out there and then I discovered this shop. I thought, ok, I’ll have a look and then I ended up buying the shoes. I had some minor problems with them in the beginning because I had an inflammation in my foot. Once that cleared up, it only took four days for the pain in my feet to go away. I think I’ve had these shoes for about three months now and they’re still the only ones I wear. I highly recommend them. I’m so impressed! For me, these shoes are the best thing since sliced bread!
Mrs. Eisbach from Andernach, Germany