Do Your Feet Hurt? You Might Have Plantar Fasciitis!

By Your Health Magazine

Your feet do a lot of hard work for you, walking and standing, sometimes for hours on end, they can really take a beating! There is a point where there is only so much abuse they can handle, and they will let you know of their suffering by making you suffer along with them, and painfully! This often takes the form of a condition called plantar fasciitis, an inflammation in the plantar fascia in your foot, and the most common cause of foot pain.

The plantar fascia is similar to a ligament, it’s a sturdy, fibrous attachment running from your heel to the ball of your foot and then down to your toes, connecting the bones in your foot together and forming the arch on the bottom of your foot. Normally it’s quite flexible, like a thick rubber band, but when your plantar fascia is stretched too far and overused it can be damaged and begin to swell. This inflammation can make it very painful to walk or use your foot, and in serious cases requires Plantar Fasciitis Physical Therapy to help it heal. Plantar fasciitis usually occurs in one foot at a time, but some people contract it in both of their feet at once! Plantar fasciitis is extremely common, millions of people are treated for it yearly, and about 1 in 10 people will suffer from plantar fasciitis during their lifetime.

The following are the most common symptoms of plantar fasciitis:

Pain in the arch of your foot
Pain in the heel of your foot
Swelling around your heel
Stiffness in the Achilles tendon

If you develop a chronic aching pain along the bottom of your foot or in your heel you probably have developed plantar fasciitis. The sensation of pain can vary depending on what activity you are engaged in, or even just the time of day! The types of pain you may experience can include:

A constant, dull ache
A sharp, stabbing pain when you put pressure on your heel or use your affected foot
A pain when you stand up after sitting or sleeping

Moving your foot around or doing some light exercise can temporarily relieve your pain, but it almost always worsens as soon as you stop!

So, what are the causes of plantar fasciitis? Any activity that irritates or damages your plantar fascia can trigger the condition, such as:

Playing physically demanding sports
Standing on your feet all day at work
Doing exercise or work on a hard surface
Doing exercise without warming up or stretching first
Wearing flat shoes like flexible sneakers or flip flops that don’t give your feet proper support.
Standing or walking while barefoot

Some other health conditions can trigger plantar fasciitis, such as:

Having high arches
Having flat feet
Being overweight

How can plantar fasciitis be treated? It’s possible to manage plantar fasciitis by using at-home treatments and taking some over-the-counter medicine. Your doctor can suggest various options for treating your symptoms as well as supporting your feet so you can relieve your current condition and reduce the possibility of having the plantar fasciitis reoccur.

The most common treatments for plantar fasciitis are:

Over-the-counter pain killers– Drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen can reduce inflammation and relieve the pain. Never take these drugs for longer than 10 days in a row without consulting your doctor!

Rest up – Take a health break from working, playing sports, or participating in any activities that may have caused the plantar fasciitis for a week, if possible.

Ice your foot – Icing your foot for around 10 to 15 minutes twice a day can help relieve plantar fasciitis. You can wrap a frozen water bottle in a towel to protect your skin, then gently roll it over the bottom of your foot to massage it and reduce the inflammation.

Wear supportive shoes – Sturdy, well-cushioned shoes can help prevent plantar fasciitis. Try not to wear flip-flops, sandals, sneakers, or other types of flat shoes that don’t have arch support built-in. Avoid walking around in your bare feet.

Use orthotics or shoe inserts – Placing inserts into your shoes will provide your feet with extra arch support. Your doctor might suggest using pre-made inserts you can purchase over-the-counter, or custom-made orthotics that are specially moulded to fit your foot’s exact shape.

Immobilization – In very severe cases you might need to wear a walking boot or cast for several weeks that will hold your foot in place and take the pressure off your damaged plantar fascia. Your doctor will proscribe this course of treatment only if necessary.

Massage and stretching – Your doctor or physical therapist can teach you to do stretches and give you massage techniques that you can perform yourself on your foot.

Corticosteroids – These are anti-inflammatory medicines like prednisone that your doctor might inject directly into your plantar fascia.

Platelet rich plasma, or PRP – PRP can be injected to help your body heal and repair the damage that causes plantar fasciitis.

In some severe plantar fasciitis cases surgery might be the best course of action. It’s actually quite rare to need surgery, but the two most common types are:

Gastrocnemius recession – The surgeon will lengthen the muscles of your calf to reduce the pressure on your plantar fascia.

Plantar fascial release – The surgeon will relieve the extra tension in your plantar fascia by making tiny incisions in it.

At this point you are probably wondering how you can prevent plantar fasciitis! The most sure way is to avoid abusing and overusing your feet. The following techniques should help:

Take some time to rest your feet and recover after performing intense activity or exercise.
Stretch out before and after you exercise.
Be sure to wear supportive shoes.
Try not to walk barefoot over hard surfaces.

If you take good care of your feet you probably won’t ever develop plantar fasciitis, but if you do its important to seek a doctor’s help!