HE has worked with some star athletes such as world famous Olympians Mo Farah, Steve Cram and Paula Radcliffe, and now he is providing some assistance to you...

Paul Hobrough, the owner of popular Corbridge practice Physio & Therapy UK, will pass on practical advice to online readers of the Hexham Courant every first Monday of the month.

Starting with advice for heel pain, he aims to work up the body for all the aches and pains people may be experiencing.

Do you wake up and feel like you just stepped on a stone? You may well have plantar fasciitis!

What is it?

Plantar fasciitis, or police man’s heel as it's sometimes known, is characterised by feeling pain in those first few steps in the morning or after sitting for any length of time.

At first, it goes away quickly and you will probably forget about the pain until the next morning. But, left unchecked, this feeling of standing on a stone lasts longer and longer, causing significant upset to your daily routine.

The plantar fascia is a flat length of connective tissue that runs from your heel bone (calcaneus) to the base of your toes (it splits into a slip for each toe).

Its main role is to help support and maintain the long arch in your foot and also help in some small way with the power of the toe off when walking or running.

The fix

The following step-by-step technique has been successful for an extremely high percentage of my patients and continues to grow in popularity as word gets around.

However, if you had suffered for a while it is time to book in for shockwave therapy.

Dos and Don’ts

1. NO barefoot walking (even keep your trainers by the bed at night just in case you’re caught short).

2. Write the alphabet with your foot before walking in the morning or after a long time sitting.

3. Wear some orthotic supports in your shoes. There are different versions for normal shoes and for trainers.

4. Towel grabbing: 2 x 2 minutes per day (pull a towel along a smooth floor surface using just your toes and forefoot).

5. Calf and soleus stretches: 6 x 60 seconds per day (against a wall so you get toe extension).

6. Big toe extension: pull your big toe into extension wherever possible for as long as possible throughout the day.

7. Wear the Strassburg sock (available online) at night; this provides a gentle stretch to the fascia.

8. Ice the heel for 10 minutes after any prolonged period of work (long walks or time spent on feet at work, etc.). You can also roll your foot over a bottle of frozen water.

9. Where possible wear your trainers, even if it means just to get to the office where you can change into your work shoes on arrival.

Once you have mastered all these points it’s time for the weekly treatments.

Each week, the soft tissue work will be increased into the calf and forefoot easing the pull on the plantar fascia origin on the heel bone - the sessions work closer and closer to this painful spot, but critically never directly over it.

If you have never been struck down by plantar fasciitis, building these exercises into your routine will help guard against suffering in the future.