The Best Way to Treat Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis can be an excruciatingly painful condition that affects millions of people worldwide. If you’ve ever experienced that sharp, stabbing pain in the bottom of your heel, you know just how debilitating it can be. Thankfully, there’s hope for relief through physical therapy.
What is plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammatory heel condition affecting the plantar fascia, the large ligament-type structure in the base of the foot. According to the National Library of Medicine, it’s estimated that 1 in 10 people will develop plantar fasciitis during their lifetime. Tightness of the Achilles tendon is found in almost 80% of cases.
The main cause of plantar fasciitis is having tightness in your calf muscles, which makes it hard to flex your foot and bring the toes up toward your shin.
Plantar fasciitis can also be caused by:
- a sudden increase in the amount of activity you do
- being on your feet for too long
- exercising on hard surfaces
- overstretching the sole of your foot
- being overweight, as it increases the strain on your heels
- an injury or weakness in the ankle
- high or low arches
- aging, as it is more common in people over 40
- shoes that do not cushion or support the soles of your feet
What types problems does plantar fasciitis cause?
The most common symptoms of plantar fasciitis include:
- Pain on the bottom of the foot near the heel. To some, it may be a stabbing sensation; to others, it may feel like pressing down on a bruise.
- Pain with the first few steps after getting out of bed in the morning, or after a long period of rest, such as after a long car ride. The pain goes away after a few minutes of walking.
- Greater pain after (not during) exercise or activity.
The symptoms may only be present in the morning when getting out of bed and can be very sporadic. Some patients are asymptomatic for a day or two only to find the pain returning. When the condition is fully developed, the symptoms of plantar fasciitis heel pain are more acute. The condition will become chronic if the strain on the plantar fascia goes on for long enough and remains untreated. In addition, plantar fasciitis can increase the risk of lumps of calcium collecting on the heel bone, called bone spurs, which can make your pain worse.
How can physical therapy help planter fasciitis?
After your diagnosis, your doctor will likely suggest that you work with a physical therapist on an exercise program that focuses on stretching your calf muscles and plantar fascia. In addition to exercises, a physical therapy program may involve specialized ice treatments, massage, and other therapies to decrease inflammation around the plantar fascia.
As movement experts, your physical therapist will work with you to develop a program to decrease your symptoms. Research shows that most cases of plantar fasciitis will improve over time with a combination of these treatment options:
- Stretching exercises to improve the flexibility of your ankle and the plantar fascia.
- Strengthening exercises to improve the strength of supporting muscles.
- Application of ice to decrease pain and inflammation.
- Taping of the foot for short-term relief.
- Orthotics (shoe inserts) and supportive footwear.
- A night splint to help you maintain correct ankle and toe positions while sleeping.
Let our physical therapy experts at Comprehensive Rehab assist you every step of the way as you begin to heal your plantar fasciitis. Contact Comprehensive Rehab today at 877-530-6356. We have Iowa offices located in Clinton and Maquoketa.