Plantar Fasciitis – What Causes It and What to Do?
Did you wake up this morning with heel pain that prevents you from putting weight on your foot and make it really difficult for you to walk? Does your heel pain get worse at the end of most activity but not during the activity itself?
If the above description sound familiar to you, then you may be suffering from what called Plantar Fasciitis.
What Causes Plantar Fasciitis?
The plantar fascia is a long, thin ligament that lies directly beneath the skin on the bottom of your foot. It connects the heel to the front of your foot, and supports the arch of your foot and acts as a shock absorbent. There is no single injury that causes plantar fasciitis. It is usually cased by too much repetitive stress to the heel which causes damage and injury to the tissue. The resulting inflammation to the tissue is what we call plantar fasciitis.
Some risk factors are:
- Obesity
- Overly tight calves
- Having high foot arches
- Repetitive high impact activities such as running
- Sports in improper footwear
- Sudden increase in intensity or quantity of exercise
Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis
- Pain in the heel on weight bearing
- Pain is greater on the first few steps in the morning or after prolonged periods of inactivity such as sitting.
- Heel pain after (not during) activities
What To Do?
There are several non-surgical treatment that can help with plantar fasciitis. All of these treatments are done with the idea of reducing the loading that is causing the inflammation. These are:
- Weight loss
- Calves stretching
- Plantar Fascia Stretching
- Using orthotics and extra cushioning in your shoes
- Shockwave Therapy
If your plantar fasciitis does not get better within 12 months of non-surgical treatment, your doctor will start to consider surgical options. These are typically a release to your plantar fascia or lengthening of your calves mucles. At Elevate Physiotherapy, we recommend that you get your heel pain checked out by a doctor immediately. If left untreated, plantar fasciitis can become a chronic condition. We hope this article has been useful to you. Check out a plantar fascia stretch video that we have included below. You may follow our channel for more useful exercises and contact us if you have any questions.https://youtu.be/sf3pY9kTGJQ