Don’t Let Plantar Fasciitis Stop You in Your Tracks
Have you been trying to get back into running but are having nagging foot pain? The bottom of your foot hurting from working on your feet all day?
You may be suffering with plantar fasciitis which affects over two million people in the United States and the leading cause of foot pain..
Classic Signs and Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis
- Sharp medial heel pain that may extend into the toes.
- Increased pain with getting out of bed, after a period of inactivity, prolonged periods of standing, walking, running, hiking, or especially when using the stairs.
What Can Make It Worse?
tight calves and achilles tendons, weakness or instability of the ankles, trauma to the foot, low back or sacral misalignment.
Additional Risk Factors
- Obesity
- Heel spurs
- Flat feet or loss of arch height
- Decreased flexibility of the muscles in the foot
- Decreased range of motion of the foot and ankle
- Improper footwear – including flip flops, high heels or worn out shoes/boots
- Repetitive movement
Conservative chiropractic care has been shown to be successful with 95 percent of patients. Adjustments to the foot and ankle have been shown to have a favorable response, by increasing the mobility of joints. Adjustments combined with daily stretches have been shown to decrease foot pain. Resolution time of plantar fasciitis is typically about 6-18 months, however, early recognition and treatment of plantar fasciitis can lead to a shorter recovery time.
What Can I Do at Home to Fix It?
- Soak feet in an ice water bath for 15-20 minutes or freeze a water bottle and roll it under your foot.
- Epsom salt bath – Magnesium deficiency is a common cause of tight muscles, soaking can help to relax calf and foot muscles.
- Stretch feet and calves several times throughout the day
- Strengthening exercises: toe curls and single leg stance are great
- Avoiding or reducing high impact activities such as running
- Self Massage – Using a golf ball or tennis ball massage from the heel through the middle of the foot into the toes for 30-60 seconds.
- Customized shoe orthotics may also be recommended to help support the fascia, arch and heel. While it is tempting to grab the “one size fits all” orthotics off of the shelf, customized orthotics are based on your specific arch, weight distribution and leg length and provide the best support for your body.
Plantar Fasciitis Pain Relief: Additional Treatment Options
- Myofascial Release – This therapy utilizes movement, manual contacts and sometimes instruments to break down scar tissue and adhesions allowing the muscles and fascia to stretch and heal correctly.
- Laser therapy, muscle stimulation and other therapeutic techniques may be effective in the reduction of pain and inflammation.
- Kinesiology taping of foot and calves to support the arch and reduce inflammation, resulting in reduced strain on the fascia.
Surgical treatment of plantar fasciitis should be a last resort after conservative care has been exhausted.
If you or anyone you know is suffering with this, feel free to be an appointment with any of the doctors at the office.
Dr. Hemmer MS, DC
