What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Are you experiencing stabbing pain in your heel or arch? Does it usually hurt the most when you take your first steps in the morning, but eases as the day goes on with activity? This pain may be Plantar Fasciitis, which is the most common cause of heel and arch pain. Plantar Fasciitis is a condition that most commonly affects runners, athletes, or people that put a lot of stress and weight on their feet every day.
Plantar Fasciitis occurs when the fascia (a thick band of tissue) on the bottom of your foot becomes irritated and inflamed from overuse. Often there is no identifiable cause, but may result after strenuous activities such as running and athletic training or walking on uneven surfaces with poor shoegear. Sometimes these activities can cause this thick tissue to become stretched or torn resulting in further injury and difficulty in recovery. The pain is often described as a stabbing pain in the heel or a throbbing ache on the bottom of the foot.
What are the risks?
The risk factors and activites that can make heel and arch pain worse include:
- Obesity
- Strenuous activities such as marathon running and hiking
- Gymnastics or sports activity that places a lot of shock and pounding on the heel area
- Flat feet
- High arches
- Age: older adults and active middle aged people
- Avid walkers
- Poor shoegear use with activities
The symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis include stabbing pain in the heel, aching arches, throbbing feet, outside of the foot pain, pain with the first few steps in the morning and at the end of the day, and pain that does not get better.
How can Dr. Stewart treat my Plantar Fasciitis?
In our office, we have a variety of conservative ways to treat and reverse your pain symptoms. In healing Plantar Fasciitiis, the goal is to decrease the pain, swelling, and inflammation, while increasing strength, stability, and range of motion. We can help you do just that in our office by treating your symptoms with:
- Custom Functional Orthotics that properly aligns your foot structure and the weight placed upon the feet, and to provide adequate support and cushioning.
- Laser therapy for pain that stimulates your body’s own natural healing process to decrease your pain symptoms and swelling
- Stretching splints
- Shoegear changes and modification
- Strengthening and stretching therapy
- Education on what you can do at home including icing, resting, and taking over-the-counter pain medication
We know how difficult it can be to deal with a foot condition that hinders your ability to perform your daily activities. You can make an appointment with Dr. Stewart today to understand your condition and receive the proper treatment that aligns best with your lifestyle. We hope to see you in our office soon to help you get back on your feet!