Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

Plantar fasciitis treatment ranges from rolling a ball under the foot to surgery. Fortunately surgery is rarely needed, rather patience and consistent care. Treatment begins with a proper analysis and understanding the condition. An early sign is pain along the bottom of the foot, near the heel with the first morning steps as the foot touches the floor. The discomfort is also felt with the initial weight of the foot on the ground after a long period of rest. With each stride the bottom of the foot is stressed which sends the pain shooting down the heel and foot. Placing stress on the inflamed area after resting leads to initial discomfort but with time may subside at the initial stage of the injury.

Heel pain is most often accredited to plantar fasciitis. Plantar means the bottom of the foot and fascia is a dense fibrous connective tissue attaching at the bottom of the heel bone to the base of the toes. Pain is a result of the injured tissue. The condition occurs when the flat, long ligament on the bottom of the foot irregularly stretches leading to small tears, which inflames the ligaments. The suffix "itis" means inflammation. However studies now show the injury may be less in part from inflammation and more to do with the loss of blood circulation.

Small spurs may begin to grown on the heel bone. Heel spurs occur when calcification begins at the attachment of the plantar fascia to the calcaneus. A heel spur, also called a traction spur, which will show up on an x-ray. As these spurs may accompany chronic plantar fasciitis, the spur is usually not the cause of pain.

Plantar Fasciitis Symptoms

Plantar fasciitis is a frustrating condition that plagues runners of all abilities and is almost as common as runner's knee. As the heel bone is the largest in the foot, it bears all of the body's weight. Essentially the heel withstands a lot of stress with each step.

The pain of this condition may cause you to try to walk on your toes, or alter your running stride and gait which will cause further damage and may cause a problem to develop in your healthy foot. Gait changes in running may also lead to ankle, knee, hip or back pain.

Plantar Fasciitis Symptoms

• Morning heel and bottom of the foot pain with the initial steps
• Pain at the bottom of the foot after a period of rest
• Pain on the bottom of the foot and around the heel

Plantar Fasciitis Causes

Athletes and runners are particularly prone to developing plantar fasciitis. Stress and tension on the plantar fascia ligament leads to the pain. When the band on the bottom of the foot stretches it pulls on the heel and when it pulls too hard, pain is present. Running long distances or putting repetitive pounding on the heel of the foot during exercise often are huge factors that can add excessive stress to the heel of the foot, therefore contributing to development of plantar fasciitis.

Heel pain may be the result of other conditions such as a bruised heel, plantar arch strain, tarsal tunnel syndrome or a calcaneus stress fracture. To determine the cause of the pain, the Running Doctor can determine the source to give the most effective treatment.

Plantar Fasciitis Causes

• Biomechanical, high arches or flat feet
• Excessive pronation
• Tight Achilles tendon
• Weight gain can worsen the condition
• Hard surface running, concrete
• Over-training
• Extensive wearing of heels

Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

As plantar fasciitis treatment depends how quickly action is taken. If symptoms are treated when the pain begins, recovery will obviously be quicker. Treatment can vary from stretching and icing to the extreme cortisone injects. The Running Doctor's effective approach brings about recovery without the use of drugs or surgery. The surgical option severs the attachment of the plantar fascia from the heel or removes the heel spur. Too often this can cause more problems.

Stretching is an essential staple in recovery. First thing in the morning before taking a step, gently stretching the Achilles with a towel rapped around the bottom of the foot to pull the toes in can help lessen the painful initial steps.

Women wearing heels should consider wearing flats, at least until the pain subsides. Night splints may also be helpful as they prevent the plantar fascia from shortening during the night. The bottom of the foot remains stretched as the splint holds the foot perpendicular to the leg.

Treat Plantar Fasciitis

• Ice after running
• Rolling a foot over a water bottle or tennis ball
• Stretch Achilles
• Avoid high heels
• Cross train to maintain fitness and limit stress on the feet

Plantar Fasciitis Prevention

Often we do not think about prevention until after having to deal with plantar fascia pain. Preventative measures are simple. Although there is no guarantee to injury preventative measures, taking certain actions can greatly reduce your risk of pain. Regular visits to the Running Doctor is an effective preventative measure for the long-term and continued pain free running. Routine muscle stripping and assisted stretching with Dr. Thomas will both improve performance and keep injuries at bay.

Prevention

• Limit running on hard surfaces (best to worst: grass, trails, soft track, asphalt, concrete)
• Gradual training and intensity increases
• Ease into speed workouts
• Incorporate stretching into workout routine, especially Achilles tendon stretches
• Wear proper foot wear and replace worn out shoes
• For women minimize high heel use
• Visit the Running Doctor

Common Running Injuries

• Achilles Tendonitis
• Iliotibial Band (IT) Syndrome
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Runner's Knee
• Shin Splints
• Sciatica