The plantar fascia is a piece of sheet that connects from heel to toes. It supports the arch of your foot which influences the whole human skeleton therefore affecting the way you walk, move, and can be a cause of pain of different parts of the body that might not seem related to the planter fascia in any way.
If strained, the plantar fascia becomes inflamed and then the heel or bottom of the foot hurts. It is usually worse upon wakening and after or during physical activity.
Common Causes
- tight Achilles tendon or calf muscles
- walk, stand, run for long periods of time
- high arches or flat feet
- excessive pronation
- obesity (especially of there is a rapid increase in weight)
Possible Misdiagnosis
- bone spurs; oftentimes heel pain can be caused by a bone spur which can be checked by doing an x-ray.
- tarsal tunnel syndrome; similar to the carpal tunnel syndrome which occurs in the hand, tarsal tunnel syndrome can cause heel pain and is due to the tibial nerve being trapped and pinched
Is running or just being active an important part of your life? (Don’t all shout at once.) Let’s then explore what are the best ways to move from an inflamed and painful foot to a healthy state.
1. Stretching – this is crucial in recovery and prevention of reoccurring symptoms, no matter what additional therapy is employed for plantar fasciitis. Here is a video that shows a basic stretch. Note that this is a standard stretch, however, depending on which muscles are involved in the heel or foot pain, the type of stretch can vary dramatically. Your health care provider can assess and teach you the appropriate stretching for your particular case.
2. Homeopathic Injection Therapy – Homeopathic injections are performed in acupuncture and trigger points. A trigger point is a tender point under the skin where you may feel a “knot”. When pushed on those points there will be noticed local pain and pain that radiates out. The muscles there often have trouble relaxing, which in turn causes decreased blood flow to the area and increased nerve firing that triggers pain. Tight muscles in the calf for example, can cause pain in the heel or bottom of foot. An appropriate diagnosis will reveal if tight muscles, as opposed to a collapsed arch or other causes, cause indeed the plantar fasciitis. Here is one of our videos explaining more about the benefits of homeopathic injections as opposed to corticosteroids shots.
3. Acupuncture – Effective in reducing pain by releasing endorphins, acupuncture will also help heal plantar fasciitis by unblocking the acupuncture channels that run through your foot. Acupuncture can also be used to stimulate and release the trigger points, which is similar to the homeopathic injections. A course of 5-10 treatments is required for substantial improvement and relapse prevention.
4. Massage – different sport massage techniques can be used for both the heel and plantar area but also calf and low back area. The fascia throughout our body is one immense sheet that is intrinsically related. That is why an integrative approach and a tedious assessment are crucial especially in chronic and stubborn plantar fasciitis.
And remember, be kind to your feet. They are bearing the weight of your whole body. Every single day. Apparently for more than 2000 miles a year, depending if you let your dog walk you or walk to your mailbox instead of driving, it can be significantly more.
Disclaimer
The information on this blog is provided for educational or reference purposes only and it is NOT a substitute for professional health care. No information obtained on this blog should be relied on as the basis for treating or diagnosing conditions, symptoms, or illness and all queries should be directed to your health care provider. No warranty or guarantee of a cure is expressed or implied with any information at this blog, nor does Damiana Corca make any representations regarding the use or the results obtained with the information. In no event shall Damiana Corca, her employees or associates be liable to any person or individual for any loss or damage whatsoever which may arise from the use of this blog or any of the information available on this blog.
