Plantar Fasciitis - The Leading Cause of Heel Pain

A common condition that affects the foot is heel pain. The characteristic pain affecting the heel is variable. It can be described as burning pain, slow progressing pain, or striking pain when the affected heel is used. In some cases, especially when a patient has chronic heel pain, the pain can occur even at rest.
The plantar fascia is involved in most cases of heel pain. There could be a pathologic finding or damage to plantar fascia or irritation and inflammation to the surrounding tissues at the heel bone where the plantar fascia is attached.
The plantar fascia is a powerful band of fibrous tissue found underneath the foot. It joins to the calcaneus or heel bone to the balls of the foot. It is involved in maintaining the arch of the foot which is essential to the biomechanics of the foot.
The plantar fascia is constantly under extreme pressure when walking, running, lifting weights, or anything that involves using the foot. Because of this, it is not surprising that this structure develop tiny tears that can accumulate over the years. These tiny micro tears can cause mild to severe heel pain. This is the reason why older adults commonly developt this type of foot pain. Younger individuals can also develop premature fascia tears especially those who are active in sports like runners. Plantar fasciitis is the medical term which means irritation and inflammation of the plantar fascia.
Heel pain is a very common condition. One out of ten people will experience at least one episode of heel pain at some point in their lives. People mostly affected by heel pain are:

• The elderly around the age 40 to 60 years old.
• Active individuals who regularly run or jog.
• Athletes like runners, basketball players, volleyball players.
• Obese or overweight
• Diabetics

Treatment of heel pain due to plantar fasciitis focuses on alleviating the inflammation and irritation of the plantar fascia. The simplest way to manage heel pain is by following the R.I.C.E.. method.

• Immobilizing and resting the foot promotes wound healing. Resting alone can manage the acute or early stages of heel pain. Resting alone can treat the acute or early stages of heel pain. This heals the micro tears and damage done to the plantar fascia
• Ice. Cold stimuli help reduce inflammation and can also decrease pain
• Compression. Compression bandages help immobilize the foot and also reduce further swelling of the foot
• Elevating the foot above the heart prevents blood pooling. This significantly reduce swelling therefore also an effective method to decrease pain. This significantly reduce swelling therefore also a great way to reduce pain

Other treatments include calf stretches, steroid injections, devices that support the foot like orthoses or shoes that provide cushion and support for the foot.
If the above treatments still do not alleviate pain, then other modalities like ESWT or minimal surgery is required especially for chronic heel pain.