What Is Plantar Fasciitis And How To Treat It

Plantar fasciitis is a debilitating condition which involves injury and inflammation of the plantar fascia. This is a thick connective tissue found underneath the foot, which is very important in maintaining the foot's arch.

There a lot of causes of plantar fasciitis but the patients that mostly have this condition are athletes and the elderly. People engaged in sports that involve intensive use of the feet like runners, cyclers, basketball and football players, and the like can injure the plantar fascia due to excessive stress to the feet. The plantar fascia, as with any part of the body, is prone to wear and tear, so it is typical to find elderly patients with foot problems.

Symptoms of plantar fasciitis are heel pain on the first steps after getting out of bed in the morning or stepping out of a car. Pain gradually deceases after a few steps but pain could heighten up again during the day especially after long periods of standing or climbing the stairs.

A thorough physical exam and past medical history is necessary for a podiatrist to properly diagnose foot pain due to plantar fasciitis. There are different causes of foot pain that can show similar symptoms as that of plantar fasciitis. A correct diagnosis is the key to proper treatment.

There are several approaches in treating heel pain and the goal is to relieve the forces that are causing the plantar fascia to be stretched excessively. At home, there are easy ways to relieve foot pain. Resting the foot is an effective way to stop the pain. If the foot is allowed to rest long enough, this can encourage healing of the plantar fascia. Ice packs or cold compress provide quick relief of pain and swelling. If pain still persists after these basic treatments, then a podiatrist should be consulted.

  

Simple Ways To Relieve Foot Pain

There are a lot of causes of foot pain and there are many factors that contribute to different types of foot pain. But the primary cause is using the wrong type of footwear, especially women with their high heels causing a lot of strain on the feet.

A lot of female patients suffer from a condition called Achilles tendinitis. This is foot pain usually felt behind the foot. When wearing high heels for long periods of time, the unusual position of the foot shortens the Achilles tendon. Now back at home, where the feet return to the normal position, a tightening effect or the stretching of the Achiilles tendon occurs causing some discomfort. Eventually, the prolonged use of these types of shoes can cause the Achilles tendon to be painful and inflamed.

Another common cause of foot pain is plantar fasciitis. This is due to the injury or inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a strong fibrous tissue found under the foot, and is responsible for maintaining the arch of the foot. For this reason, the plantar fascia is constantly under stress when walking or running. That’s why this structure is always prone to injury causing mild to severe foot pain.

In cases of foot pain, the first thing that can be done is the RICE method:

REST

Allowing the foot to rest is the primary goal to relieve pain and also treating the injury causing the pain. Taking pain relievers is not recommended because it masks the pain, allowing you to use your foot, which can further cause injury. 

ICE

Applying cold stimuli to the injured foot can decrease the pain and swelling. 

COMPRESS

Wrapping the foot with an elastic bandage helps immobilize the foot, this helps in the healing process. Also, it helps in controlling swelling.

ELEVATE

Lastly, if the foot is really swollen, raising the foot above the heart can prevent pooling of bodily fluids on the affected foot.

Common Causes of Heel Pain

There are several conditions that can cause heel pain like plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, arthritis, tarsal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, Sever’s disease, and stress fractures.

Plantar fasciitis is caused by the inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is a strong fibrous tissue found underneath the foot. Pain is felt underneath the heel. Pain is felt when you take your first steps out of bed or from a long drive.

Achilles tendinitis is due to an inflamed Achilles tendon, a tendon found behind the foot causing posterior heel pain. Characteristic pain of Achilles tendinitis is progressive pain while walking or standing at the back of the foot.

Sever’s disease or calcaneal apophysitis is the most common cause of heel pain in children and teenagers. Pain is due to repetitive strain to the growth plates of the heel bone.

Fortunately, all of these conditions can be relieved by the RICE method. If you suffering for heel pain and need a quick fix, try this method:

REST – The reason why acute heel pain turns to a chronic one is because we don’t allow our foot to rest. Every time we feel any foot pain, we take pain killers. This is very wrong because your are masking the pain, allowing you to use your foot; hence, adding more injury. Allowing the foot to rest, allows the small injuries to heal.

Ice – Applying cold stimuli is a simple way to reduce the pain and swelling.

Compress – Applying an elastic bandage helps reduce swelling and also immobilizes the foot. Immobilizing the foot is an excellent way to allow the foot to heal.

Elevate – Sometimes body fluids tend to pool on the foot especially when it’s injured. Elevating the foot above the heart allows the fluid to return to the circulation, drastically reducing swelling and pain.

What’s Causing Your Heel Pain

Every time you walk, jog or lift weights, you put a lot of stress on your feet. Actually, the feet can handle a lot of stress but of course there are times that some structures of may give in and get injured causing mild to severe heel pain.

 When you pound your foot while playing sports or walk long hours using wrong footwear, this can injure the deep tissues of the foot, making it sore. Usually, allowing the foot to rest is enough for it to heal. However, many individuals ignore the early signs of heel pain and continue their daily activities. Doing so will introduce more injury to the foot which could lead to chronic heel pain.

Diagnosing Heel Pain

 If you experience any heel pain whether it’s mild or severe, see your doctor right away and get treatment. There are many causes of heel pain and a doctor will ask you the exact location of the pain and how long you had it. Your doctor will also examine your foot, look for signs of tenderness and swelling, and do some physical tests (walk or stand on one foot) to determine the cause of heel pain.

Types Of Heel Pain

Generally, the cause of heel pain fall into two categories: Pain under the heel and behind the heel.

Pain Under the Heel

If pain originates beneath the feet, it can be due to one or more of the following:

1.       Plantar fasciitis – this is one of the common cause of chronic heel pain under the foot. This is  swelling of the pantar fascia, a strong fibrous tissue that maintains the arch of the foot.

2.       Stone bruise – typically due to bruising of the fat pads of the foot when stepping on a hard object like a rock or stone.  Pain goes away gradually with rest.

3.       Heel Spur – Usually due to chronic plantar fasciitis. Continued injury to the plantar fascia may form a bony protrusion under the calcaneus bone causing severe foot pain.

Pain Behind the Heel

            Pain occurring behind the foot is due injury of the Achilles tendon which is called Achilles tendinitis.