Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Pain

Plantar fasciitis comes about when the band of tissue that supports the arch of your foot, and runs between your heel and your toes, becomes irritated and inflamed. Sometimes people affiliate bone spurs, which are bone growths in the heel, with plantar fasciitis since the pain is similar. The truth is there is no correlation between bone spurs and inflammation of the plantar fascia.

The diagnosis of plantar fasciitis is usually determined with an examination of the feet and by observing how the patient stands and walks. The doctor will ask you about when and to what degree the pain flares up. Your physical activity will have to be discussed to try to determine how the condition came about. Sometimes, plantar fasciitis occurs after years of small injuries and wear and tear. There’s no one incident that brought about the condition. Plantar fasciitis can come about without any special trigger or it can show up after one incident of physical activity. Sometimes an MRI or ultrasound may be ordered to verify the diagnosis.

There is no single cure for plantar fasciitis. Whilst many treatments can be used to ease pain, in order to treat it effectively long-term, the cause of the condition must be corrected.

Fortunately, the condition can usually be corrected without surgery. Doctors will try to treat the heel by all treatment options before resorting to surgery. It’ll usually take about 10-12 months to attempt other options but its well worth it if you can avoid going through the surgery. Only about 10% of patients actually have to resort to surgery.

I am happy to say, I haven’t had a personal experience with this condition. I only heard about it when one of my best friends had one of the worst experiences when she acquired plantar fasciitis. I didn’t realize at that time just how small a percentage of people go through when she had to go through. Her case was odd right from the get go.

Her problem erupted suddenly after a night of heavy dancing with her husband. That’s unusual. It is usually more of a small problem that accelerates over time. She also didn’t respond well to treatment. She went through all of the options I have listed here and then some. It was a year of pain for her but she was a trooper and tried whatever treatment the doctor recommended.

She finally had to have surgery. And only 10 percent or so have to go as far as needing surgery. The foot operation was followed by time out of work, wearing a cast and using crutches, and finally physical therapy. It helped but not 100%.

I finally got curious, after hearing her trials and tribulations, on what happens when you irritate your plantar fascia. Now that I’ve done the research, I imagine minor twitches and discomfort in my heels. It’s all in my head of course but, the truth is, I’ve been meaning to buy a better pair of walking sneakers. My old ones don’t give me much support when I do my treadmill routine. Now, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll be buying them sooner than later.

You can take steps to avoid this condition. It’s not a guarantee but taking care of your feet may help to evade ever getting plantar fasciitis.

Certain conditions contribute to your chances of acquiring a case of plantar fasciitis. If you have more than one of these conditions or scenarios, your chances increase accordingly. Some of these conditions are impossible to control but others you do have the ability to change. Like paying attention to the arch in the next pair of shoes you buy. Baby your feet now and you may be able to avoid being that 10 percent of the population that experiences a bout of plantar fasciitis.

A person that has very tight calf muscles tends to have a prolonged pronation of the foot. The causes over stretching of the plantar fascia which can lead to thickening of the tendon and eventually lead to inflammation. As the plantar fascia thickens up it also loses strength and flexibility.

People exceptionally low or high arches are more susceptible to acquiring a case of plantar fasciitis. Other foot abnormalities can be detected by a podiatrist.

Wearing shoes with inadequate arch support and cushion can contribute to plantar fasciitis. Excessive walking or running in inadequate footwear can take a toll on the condition of your feet. Buying the right footwear can help prevent negative medical conditions related to your feet. Look for adequate cushion along with good arch support.

Obesity is a physical trait that is bad for the body on so many levels. People that are carrying extra weight increase their risks of developing plantar fasciitis. The excessive pounds stress out the joints of the body as well as supporting muscles.

Runners are prone to this type of injury or stress. The pounding on the pavement for long distances can lead to micro-tears that build up over time and can eventually lead to an inflammation of the plantar fascia.

Treating plantar fasciitis begins with the more simple methods but if they fail to get rid of the inflammation, then a more serious treatment should be tried. These will be recommended by your doctor once he’s diagnosed you with inflammation of the plantar fascia.

Limiting Activity - Rest – Try to stay off your feet for extended periods and take a few days off from any type of lengthy walks or running. If you can, avoid standing for lengthy intervals for a few days also. This can give you some let up on your pain and can begin the process of healing the inflammation.

Icing the Foot – Applying ice to the area can help with the severity of the pain and lessen the symptoms.

Stretching Exercises - Particular stretching exercises can help to relax the problem tissue that surrounds the heel. Exercises and stretches are designed to relax the tissues that surround the heel bone. If you’re willing to do certain stretching exercises a couple times a day, you can often see results fairly quickly.

Anti-inflammatory medications can sometimes help to decrease the inflammation and control the pain.

Shoe Inserts – Orthotic – These have been proven to be very helpful for a lot of patients with heel pain. There’s the cheaper ones you can buy in stores which is adequate in some cases. The professional orthotic is the best but these are really pricey and usually aren’t covered by insurance. If you can afford one then I really recommend it.

Night splints are reported to help a lot of people with the healing of the plantar fascia. Although, getting used to sleeping with this contraption on your leg may be difficult. The idea is to keep the heel stretched while you’re sleeping. That way the tissue doesn’t contract during the night and the pain should be much less come morning.

If none of these treatments do the trick, cortisone injections could be tried. Some patients get instant relief and go for the maximum injections they can get but it can also be the cause of an additional problem. A small percentage of people can experience worse pain after an injection. The injections can cause a rupture of the plantar fascia or can cause atrophy of the heel’s fat pad.

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy, or ESWT, works by inducing tissue repair by your body. This helps some patients but not all and the procedure can be painful. A doctor will usually try this before suggesting surgery but only after the previous treatments have all been attempted.

Surgery – Only about 10 percent of the people that are afflicted with plantar fasciitis actually end up with surgery to resolve the issue. In most cases, the previously mentioned treatments work out. Doctors are reluctant to go as far as surgery. The results are not always positive and it’s possible that the results will be disappointing. Your doctor will explain the chances of success and will fill you in on the reasonable expectations you should have.