Top things to know about Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis is a very common injury that people get in the heel of their foot.  Most people notice the pain when they first wake up in the morning or after sitting for very long periods. Once you are up walking around, the pain will tend to decrease once the foot is stretched out. It is caused by tendons at the bottom of the feet getting very tight. Typically the calf muscles and achilles tendon get so tight that it begins to pull on the plantar fascia tendon which then cause inflammation. 

How can you prevent Plantar Fasciitis? 

Although symptoms can occur at the most random times, it is typically something that can be prevent before symptoms begin. It will be very important to stretch the calf muscles each day for a static stretch of 20-30 seconds. Frequent deep tissue calf massages also help as well to keep the muscles from becoming very tight.  Having good shoe and arch support will help support your body weight better to take pressure off the heel. Wearing soft orthotics are also a strong recommendation from medical professionals. Be cautious of how much barefoot or flip flop walking you are doing. Flattening the arches over time will shorten the fascia and will you will have a higher chance of getting plantar fasciitis. 

Click here and here toes a video on what plantar fasciitis is and how to treat it:

Treatment for plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis has many different ways of being treated but they have to be used in conjunction with each other to improve the symptoms.

1)    Ice/heat: As common as it sounds, having a good ice/heat routine is very important.  Tendon typically get very little blood flow which is by healing can take a long time to get better. Many doctors recommend a series of 10 minute ice water followed by 10 minute hot water to be repeated twice over a 40 minute span. The series of ice and heat stimulates the inflammation followed by eliminating inflammation to get the maximum amount of blood flow.

2)    Stretching: Calf stretching along with stretching of the plantar fascia are important. Doing these stretches several times per day will be a key to improving the symptoms.  Also doing plantar flexion stretches with the ankle will increase mobility from the top of the foot which can also speed the process of healing. 

3)    Night Splint: Many people wear a night splint to keep the foot in a dorsiflexed position for several hours at one time. When the foot is dorsiflexed, the plantar fascia tendon is always in a lengthened state where it will not in a position to become inflamed.  Doing this when sleeping will help with waking up in the morning with the sharp foot pain. 

4)    Shockwave Therapy: Many medical clinics see patients with plantar fasciitis and offer extracorporeal shockwave therapy (EWST) for treatment on the plantar fascia tendon. These high and low intensity shockwaves will help to reduce the heel pain. In this process, the shockwaves produce micro traumas to the tissue that is causing the plantar fasciitis and signals for an increased blood supply to the area. In this process, it will also break down the scar tissue that is built up to allow for blood flow easier.