Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. It involves inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes. Basically, the connection between the front of your heel, near your arch, and the rest of your foot is inflamed or tight, causing pain.
Pain tends to be increased in the mornings and often feels like you’re stepping on a sharp object. This is normal as you’ve been off your feet and often the way you sleep allows for the connections in your foot to tighten up.
How do I treat Plantar Fasciitis?
This is a loaded question. NSAIDs can help with inflammation and reduce pain but they don’t fix the problem. You have multiple ways to help:
1 – Stay off your injured foot (not very realistic)
If you can, take a couple days off from work and just give your body some rest. Sometimes pain is a signal from your body, telling you that you need some rest. I’m not saying that you’re burning the midnight oil, but it definitely could be one of the reasons you’re experiencing this pain.
2 – Stretch it – there are some basic techniques that can help
– Focus on the calf and foot muscles and tendons and get good stretches
– Use a tennis/hardball to arch your foot over and focus on stretching the big toe
– Use that same ball to put pressure right on the painful spot – THIS HURTS but helps.
Try to do these stretches at least morning and night. Stretches help the muscles relax and heal, so don’t forgo this crucial step!
3 – Check your shoes – you need good arch support to help maintain the proper stretch and reduce pain and future occurrences.
It’s easy to buy a pair of shoes because they’re stylish, but if you want your feet to last a long time, take care to buy shoes that also support them!
Plantar Fasciitis can be a devil to deal with chronically. Take care of your feet now to ensure this condition doesn’t haunt you every day of your life!
4 – Go to a Physical Therapist clinic and see how they can help
**NOTE: not everyone experiences the same levels of discomfort. Cases vary by individual but the above techniques should help most everyone.
If Plantar Fasciitis is haunting you every day and causing you some considerable pain, be sure to talk to your doctor and you may want to see a Physical Therapist. A Physical Therapist can help you take the steps you need to recover properly when overcoming this condition.
Don’t have a Physical Therapist? We can help you! Find out more here.
Is Plantar Fasciitis permanent?
No, it doesn’t have to be. It is a painful process but recovery is definitely possible. Plus, when you get over it, you will know how to treat it and what it feels like. You’ll be an expert real quick with these simple techniques!
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