Q: I am walking 30 to 60 minutes usually, if I go longer than 90 minutes or up and down a lot of hills my calves begin to ache a little but get very sore the day after. The ache and stiffness last three to five days sometimes. Is this normal and what can I do to go out for longer times without the calf pain?

A: The self-healing time is normal for exercise, induced pain and stiffness but the cause is not clear, especially if you have been walking distances regularly. Be sure your shoes are fitted by an expert (technical shoe fitter), have less than 300 to 500 miles, and are under one year old. They should be correctly fitted for your feet and style of walking as well. Consistently wearing the same good fitting shoes will allow your calf muscles to pattern and build up size, which make more mileage and time possible. Take a moment to stretch your calves individually when the muscles are getting stiff. Keep hydrated — water is important for muscle metabolism and tissue repair. With the symptoms being below the knees, I would look there for the problem; shoes: condition level and muscle strength.

Q: The bottom of my feet hurt especially in the morning. It has been gradually getting worse over the past few months. Is this plantar fasciitis, and if it is, what should I do?

A: Yes, pain in the bottom of both feet with worse pain in the morning is a common symptom of plantar fasciitis. People who suffer from this usually have high arches, less fat pad on the heels, or over pronate. The key is to wear shoes that fit well all the time. The usual rule is to change shoes after 300 miles. Orthotics may be beneficial as well as taping the feet. Massage and trigger point work on the calves and feet is helpful to speed up healing. Since your symptoms have been within the past few months, I would look to mechanical factors like being bare foot on hard surfaces frequently, weight gain, hard shoes or something causing extra force on the foot bones and muscles. If your hands feel puffy in the morning as well, the plantar fasciitis symptoms are most likely secondary to an inflammatory condition such as diet, arthritis, or medications — further investigation is important.

Q: I have had knee surgery twice for partial meniscus removal. Now when I walk long distances my knee swells for a few days and is stiff and painful. In addition to ice are there exercises or stretches that I can do to prevent the swelling?

A: Awesome job on icing; it is very helpful to control swelling. If the surgeries were recent, check back with the surgeon and rehab specialist and let them know what is happening. Because of the fairly quick healing time, my guess would be that full stabilization of your knee has not occurred or been maintained. I would recommend asking your practitioner for: “one on one pelvis and lower extremity stabilization and activation exercise instruction for functional strength — “This is definitely a mouthfull but will immediately make sense to your chosen practitioner. Stretching alone will not address surgically modified swelling joints.

This issue’s expert: Bryan Baisinger, DC, owner of Clearwater Chiropractic & Massage, brings his 20 years of experience to address your concerns. He is a graduate of Western States Chiropractic College and is trained in Clinical Kinesiology and Still Point Craniosacral Therapy. He is also an A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer and Licensed Massage Therapist. To contact Dr. Baisinger call 503-279-0205 or email him at bryan@clearh2o.org.