1. Plantar fasciitis is the irritation of the 'Plantar fascia', a thick, fibrous tissue found at the bottom of the foot which propels us forward when walking.
2. Symptoms often occur gradually over time rather than having a specific mechanism
3. Pain is localized to the point at which your foot arch meets the pad of your heel
4. Weight bearing activities such as standing and walking for long periods of time make the pain worse
5. Heel spurs are a BYPRODUCT of this condition, not the CAUSE! As joints in the foot get stiff, muscles become tight and weak over time, it places more pressure onto the plantar fascia which becomes repeatedly over stretched trying to make up for the other muscles in and around the foot not doing their job when walking. Over time this repeated stretching force causes a fragment of bone to chip off the bottom of the heel. This loose bone is called a heel spur, which as you can see is part of a much, bigger overarching problem!
You can do the Windlass Test yourself to help determine whether or not you have plantar fasciitis. Simply bend your FOOT towards your body while bending your TOES toward you at the same time. Following this, poke your thumb into the top of your heel. Then compare on both sides. A positive test results if you have pain and tenderness on the affected foot and not the other.
7 things you can do to get rid of your plantar fasciitis
1. Soft tissue massage and dry needling to tight calf muscles and plantar fascia 2. Joint mobilization of stiff foot and ankle joints 3. Stretching of tight calf muscles and plantar fascia 4. Strengthening of the calf muscles and the tiny muscles inside the foot 5. Low Dye Taping (pictured below) 6. Modify your chosen sport or aggravating activity 7. Usage of heel wedges, heel cups, orthotics or compression sleeve to unload the irritated plantar fascia.
Have you heard Rachel's Story ?
Rachel is a 25 year old retail worker who presented with an eight month history of heel pain. Her symptoms developed gradually and she could narrow down the site of her pain to one specific point at the point where the heel bone meets the arch of her foot. She reported being able to put her finger on her exact area of pain. Standing around and walking on the hard surface at her work aggravated her heel pain the most, which was worse when she first got out of bed in the mornings. After spending 5 weeks with us implementing such modalities including dry needling and soft tissue release, calf muscle stretching and intrinsic foot muscle stretching, Rachel is now pain free and able to work a whole 8 hour shift without any issues! ONE exercise Rachel used to obtain INSTANT relief
Stand on a step of regular height and hang your heels off it. Feel the stretch in the calf muscles and hold for thirty seconds each time. Repeat a few times in a row, often throughout the day for optimum results.
Is there anything else that can help get rid of the pain?
Heel cups can provide immediate relief by increasing the shock absorption of the heel Orthotics help by lifting up the arch which reduces irritation of the plantar fascia Heel wedges are inserted into the shoe to relax the calf muscles and subsquently take pressure off the heel Compression sleeves are an easy way to provide support to the injured plantar fascia.
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