As the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues, international oil prices have kept surging. International crude prices hit 119 dollars per barrel in March this year, the highest in about four years since 2022. The paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 25 percent of the world's seaborne crude oil trade passes, dealt a heavy blow to the international oil market overall.
As the impact has been fully reflected in domestic gas station fuel prices, a growing number of office workers are giving up commuting by car and using public transportation instead. Since Seoul implemented its "public transit promotion measures in response to high oil prices," public transportation use has increased while vehicle traffic has decreased. According to the city, the average daily number of public transit users rose by 994,633 (4.9 percent), from 20,405,849 to 21,400,482. Specifically, subway (Lines 1-8) ridership increased 3.1 percent, while city and community bus use rose 6.7 percent.
Such a sudden change in lifestyle patterns can trigger acute foot conditions, requiring caution. Typically, drivers who commute by car use their feet only to operate the accelerator and brake. The walking distance is also short—from home to the parking lot, and from the parking lot to the office—resulting in low activity levels. When this lifestyle is repeated over a long period, the muscles in the soles gradually lose their flexibility and elasticity. When a person suddenly faces situations such as walking through long transfer corridors every day or standing for long periods in crowded buses or subways, the strain on the soles inevitably increases. As such stimulation accumulates and an inflammatory response appears, there is a risk of developing acute plantar fasciitis.
The plantar fascia is a thin membrane that maintains the elasticity and rounded shape of the sole. It absorbs the shock generated when the sole touches the ground while walking. A representative symptom of plantar fasciitis is severe pain when taking the first step after getting up in the morning. The pain begins on the inner side of the heel and tends to temporarily ease with activity. If left untreated, the pain can make one's walking posture unnatural, potentially causing imbalances in the knees, hip joints, and spine, so it is advisable to seek professional treatment in the early stages of symptoms.
Fortunately, plantar fasciitis can in most cases be improved with conservative treatment. In Korean medicine, plantar fasciitis is treated with acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, and Chuna manual therapy. Acupuncture relieves tension around the fascia and improves blood flow. Pharmacopuncture, a method of injecting the active ingredients of herbal medicine into acupoints, suppresses local inflammation and helps repair damaged tissue. Chuna manual therapy corrects the structural balance of the feet, ankles, and lower limbs overall, reducing the load placed on the plantar fascia. The effectiveness of pharmacopuncture treatment for plantar fasciitis has also been scientifically proven. According to a clinical case report paper published by Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine, the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for pain in plantar fasciitis patients decreased from 10, a level indicating very severe pain, before pharmacopuncture treatment, to 2 after treatment. The NRS is a scale expressing a patient's subjective level of pain as a number between 0 and 10, with higher values indicating more severe symptoms.
If your commuting method has suddenly changed, your feet also need time to adapt to the change. It is good to wear shoes with sufficient cushioning and support and to gradually increase the amount of walking. Using a massage ball after returning home or taking a warm foot bath is also effective in relieving tension in the feet. If the pain does not subside despite such care, it is recommended to pursue both pain relief and functional recovery through professional treatment.
