Does your heel hurt? Is it typically worse in the morning or after long periods of sitting, walking/running, or standing? If so, you most likely have Plantar Fasciitis.
Plantar Fasciitis (plan-tar fash-ee-eye-tus), or PF for short, is one of the most common foot ailments podiatrists treat. It is estimated that 10% of the population will experience plantar fasciitis. It is more common in women, most often seen in people between 40 and 60, and can sometimes take up to a year to go away.
What Is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the plantar fascia, the band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes. One of its most important duties is to support the arch of your foot.
The plantar fascia can become stressed from intense pounding exercise, being on your feet all day, carrying extra weight, wearing flimsy footwear, walking barefoot, or having flat feet or high arches. Plantar fasciitis is often defined as “an overuse syndrome.
The pain is often stabbing and intense during your first few steps in the morning or after sitting for a while. That’s because the calf muscles and the foot connective tissue can stiffen when not used, making that initial pressure painful. It typically feels like a bruise.
Treating Plantar FasciItis
Plantar fasciitis can be an extremely painful and annoying condition. Still, in most cases, it can be resolved with rest, ice, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, stretching, and strengthening the foot, ankle, and calf.
1. Stretching
Stretching is beneficial for treating Plantar Fasciitis (PF) because it can reduce inflammation and provide greater elasticity in and around the affected area. If you have PF, stretch your toes, calves, and hamstrings. The downward dog pose is an excellent stretch for your calves and hamstrings. Here are some other great exercises from an elite physical therapist (Click Here).
2. Massage
Massage therapy is one of the most popular forms of dealing with plantar fasciitis because it provides significant short-term pain relief. The body’s soft tissue comprises muscles, connective tissues, and tendons. Massage therapy can loosen those tight muscles and encourage upset tissue to relax. Massage also increases blood circulation to the injured areas, which increases nutrient and oxygen uptake in the tissue.
3. Roll Out Your Feet
Gently roll out your sole with a tennis ball, frozen water bottle, or soup can under your foot for three minutes a day first thing in the morning. This will help loosen up your plantar fascia, making it less irritated.
4. Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT)
This treatment can be compared to having a tiny jackhammer applied to your body. In ESWT, sound waves bombard your heel to stimulate healing within the ligament. This is thought to work by creating microtrauma in the tissue, which initiates a healing response. Blood vessels then form and increase the delivery of nutrients to the affected area. Microtrauma is thought to stimulate a repair process and also help relieve pain.
5. Graston Technique or Scraping
In the Graston technique, a trained professional uses a small stainless steel instrument (like a dull butter knife) to apply progressive, targeted pressure to the plantar fascia. This targeted pressure breaks up adhesions and scar tissue in the inflamed, damaged ligament, improving blood flow and encouraging healthy tissue to regenerate.
7. Toe Alignment Socks
Foot or toe alignment socks help align the toes back to their more natural (non-shoed) position. The socks stretch your toes apart so you can return to walking the correct way. The socks feature spacers between the toes, much like those you may use while getting a pedicure. If you look at a baby or toddler’s toes, you’ll see how they have air between them, and yours are all bunched together. That is a result of wearing shoes for years and is precisely what the socks aim to counteract.
To demonstrate how good this feels, slide your fingers between your toes and leave them there for a few minutes. After years of wearing shoes that mash our toes together, returning them to their natural state will likely take longer than sitting and holding your toes apart, which is why you can order socks for this.
HeAling your heels
Relief from severe heel pain is not immediate, but it is possible. If pain is severe and prolonged, the podiatrist may inject a steroid, which promotes healing by reducing inflammation. Patients quickly feel relief, BUT this only lasts for 10 days. Commit to stretching and strengthening your toes and calves regularly, wear supportive footwear – no heels that shorten your Achilles tendons and hamstring, and ease into intense workout programs to stay pain-free. To see the best exercises to heal your pain, click HERE
