Plantar Fasciitis. What is that?

Everyone has done it… Experienced a small pain and neglected it. We tell ourselves that it will go away by itself. A few weeks begin to pass which slowly becomes months and the pain isn’t getting any better. We now end up regretting our first decision and we are left with hobbling around.

At Footwise Podiatry & Reflexology we are here to help get you started!

Are you suffering from heel pain?

Is it painful to walk the first few steps in the morning? Is it sore after rest?

You may have plantar fasciitis. Don’t ignore this pain, hoping it will go away, as it may gets worse without treatment.

In this blog about Plantar Fasciitis, we’ll look at the symptoms and causes of this condition.

Plantar Fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain and you definitely know somebody who has it!

Luckily the Footwise Podiatrists are University Trained Specialists in dealing with heel pain.

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

The plantar fascia is like really thick cling film… It runs along the bottom of your foot connecting your heel to your toes. It’s what helps create a nice arch on your foot.

When this tissue becomes stretched too much… It becomes inflamed. This is where the “itis” part comes from which means inflamed in Latin.

Small tears can occur on the plantar fascia when it’s under too much stress, kind of like a pieces of thread on a rope that has been pulled too much.

These small tears result in pain and irritation around the area. If the tears don’t knit back together you could develop chronic heel pain.

Signs & Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis commonly causes a sharp, stabbing pain at the inner part of the bottom of the heel, sometimes extending into the arch of the foot.

This pain usually occurs with the first few steps in the morning when getting out of bed. Some cases can be painful all the time.

Swelling may occur but not always.

As the fascia stretches as you walk, the pain of plantar fasciitis normally decreases.

The pain may reoccur after long periods of standing or when getting up after periods of rest.

The pain may be worse after exercise, it is not usually experienced during the actual activity itself.

Barefoot walking should be avoided, particularly on hard surfaces such as tiles, as this can worsen the condition.

Changing the way you walk to reduce plantar fasciitis pain should be avoided, as it might lead to foot, ankle, knee, hip or back issues. Ignoring plantar fasciitis may result in chronic, long term heel pain which impacts on day to day activities

Signs & Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis

Age – most common between the ages of 40 and 70 – particularly in those who are more active.
Poor footwear – shoes which lack support around the heel and arch area, with thin, over flexible soles can lead to plantar fasciitis, as the feet are not supported, causing stress on the plantar fascia. Loose fitting and non-shock absorbing footwear such as flip flops provide inadequate foot protection and support.
High impact activities – running, dancing, jumping activities put a lot of pressure on the soles of the feet.
Foot type and mechanics – a flat foot, high arch, or pronation (fallen arches) can affect the weight distribution and can put too much strain on the plantar fascia.
Tight, shortened calf muscles and Achilles tendon – when the calf muscles and Achilles’ tendon are tight and tender, it usually means the plantar fascia is also very tight and not functioning as it should. You can undertake a stretching programme to combat this.
Weight – excess pounds overload the plantar fascia, especially after sudden weight gain.
Pregnancy – women can experience episodes of plantar fasciitis, especially during the late stages of pregnancy as swelling can occur and footwear can be an issue.
Occupation – healthcare workers, teachers, waiters, chefs and others who spend the majority of their time walking or standing on hard surfaces are more prone to plantar fasciitis.

How is Plantar Fasciitis Treated?

To minimize plantar fasciitis symptoms and fix your plantar fascia, we use this 3-step approach:

Step 1 – Comprehensive Foot and Ankle examination

Our experiened and knowledgeable practitioners will examine :

Your lower limb flexibility
Your joint alignment
The biomechanics of the way your walk
Your muscle strength and tone

To identify the root cause of your foot pain

Step 2 – Latest Technology for Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

At Footwise Podiatry we continually invest in the latest and most successful technology when it comes to resolving our patients Plantar Fasciitis

We use video motion Gait Analyses to allow us to examine every part of your gait in detail no matter how fast you move.

We are one of the few clinics in Ireland to use both 3D scanning equipment like they have on the space station and our 3D Printed Orthotics when needed for Plantar Fasciitis.

Our latest addition is Laser Therapy. The patients who want to heal quicker and have less daily pain opt for this treatment!

Step 3 – Recovery

Each treatment aims to gently and progressively get your foot and ankle moving again without pain, as quickly as possible, to allow you to get back to normal and start doing the things you love.

We will give you a structured rehabilitation exercise program, to help break the cycle and prevent the problem from returning

Bonus Section

Our team has devised an electronic book (Ebook for short) with more information on Plantar Fasciitis. This is literally a book but online. Kind of like a kindle…

In this we have some treatment options you can start at home!

We were going to charge a fee for this but decided we would give it away for free!

Click the button below and it will send you to our ebook.