Your Most Common Foot Pain: Plantar Fasciitis - What is it?

You get up in the morning and that pain is there in your foot. After resting you again experience the pain and it is getting worse. At first you think you are imagining it because you would think the pain would be worse after activities and not after resting. Well, you are not imagining things. Heel pain and plantar fasciitis are worse after resting because the plantar fascia contracts and weight bearing causes it to stretch and thereby causes the pain.  The plantar surface of the foot is the bottom of the foot.

Plantar fasciitis is  a tearing and subsequent inflammation of the ligaments on the bottom of the foot.  The ligaments pull on the heel bone or calcaneus and nature forms an extension of that bone to help protect it thus a heel spur is formed. Plantar fasciitis heel pain is often felt at the front part of the heel on the bottom of the foot. The pain may spread along the bottom of the foot towards the toes.  Common causes of plantar fasciitis and heel spurs include excessive exercise, walking or standing, wearing shoes that fit poorly or have no cushioning.  Physical deformities are other factors in causing the pain. Such deformities include flat feet, tight calf muscles or Achilles tendinitis. Being overweight is another common cause as the extra pounds put extra stress on the plantar of the foot.

There are many treatments that can help alleviate the pain associated with heel spurs and plantar fasciitis. Injection therapy to shrink the protective bursa that
forms around the heel spur can offer immediate relief. The fabrication of
custom-made foot orthoses helps to relieve weight bearing stress and provide
the needed cushioning to allow the fascia to heal. The use of a night brace or
splint is another helpful treatment modality as it stretches the plantar fascia
while the person is at rest and this helps prevent the morning pain. There are
stretching and icing exercises that are also helpful. We also offer other
non-invasive technologically advanced treatments for such conditions including
shock wave therapy.

We at Livingston Foot Care Specialists treat this painful condition on a daily basis and surgical intervention is only considered as a last resort. Most patients find relief from their pain with simple treatment modalities. Being active is essential for a person’s well being and plantar fasciitis and its related heel pain should not prevent activity. Please visit us at www.livingstonfootcare.com.