Plantar Fasciitis
Do you experience intense foot pain when you roll out of bed in the morning and put your feet on the floor? Have you ever experienced heel pain after sitting in the car for long periods of time? Do your arches hurt when you run? Does the pain slowly subside as your foot gets warmed up and moving? If your answer is “YES” to any these questions, then you likely have plantar fasciitis.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is a condition caused by repetitive activity that causes strain on the plantar fascia of the foot. The plantar fascia is a thick band of connective tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot and connects your heel to the base of your toes. It acts as a shock absorber by supporting the arch of your foot. If the fascia gets overloaded with tension, this results in tiny tears that cause irritation, pain, and inflammation. It could feel like a stabbing pain in your heel/arch of your foot, or it could feel like more of a deep throbbing pain. The pain can last for just a few days or several years.
This condition affects 2 million Americans per year and ten percent of the population in their lifetime. Eighty-three percent of people with heel pain are active working adults between ages 25 and 65. The good news is that 90% of plantar fasciitis cases can be treated with conservative, in-home treatments.
Seeking treatment early is the best way to avoid long-term effects. Surgery for plantar fasciitis is very rare, in fact only five percent of patients must undergo surgery to treat plantar fasciitis.
The true key to recovery is to minimize stress and tension of overused areas of the plantar fascia. The way to fix this condition permanently is to build muscle strength higher up at the hips and the core and keep your calves and hamstrings flexible, yet strong.
Helpful tips:
Activities to limit or avoid during recovery:
Running, Jumping, Bouncing, Step aerobics, Fitness walking, Going barefoot, and wearing flip flops (any shoes that your toes need to “grip” to keep on should be avoided, wear only shoes that firmly attach to your feet)
Try a night splint: This can be annoying to wear at night but it can make a huge difference. Most of us sleep with our toes pointed down which shortens the plantar fascia. This prolonged shortening at nighttime can be on reason why your foot feels stiff in the morning.