Plantar fasciitis occurs due to excessive usage or excessive pressure exerted on the feet. Home remedies such as over-the-counter medications, icing, rest, and stretching are typically effective in treating plantar fasciitis.
What is plantar fasciitis?
The most common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis, which refers to inflammation in the plantar fascia in your foot.
The plantar fascia, resembling a ligament, is a durable and fibrous connection that extends from your heel to the ball of your foot and toes. Its flexibility is comparable to that of a thick rubber band, and it links the bones in your foot, shaping the arch on the underside.
When your plantar fascia is excessively used or stretched, plantar fasciitis occurs. Any damage to your plantar fascia can result in swelling, causing pain while walking or using your foot. Plantar fasciitis commonly affects one foot at a time, although it is possible for it to affect both feet simultaneously.
If you have been having heel or foot pain for over a week, it is recommended that you consult a healthcare provider.
How common is plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is a highly prevalent condition, with over 2 million individuals receiving treatment annually in the U.S. It is estimated that approximately 1 out of 10 individuals will experience plantar fasciitis at some stage in their lifetime.
What are the symptoms of plantar fasciitis?
The most prevalent signs of plantar fasciitis are:
- Heel pain.
- Pain in the arch of your foot.
- Stiffness.
- Swelling around your heel.
- A tight Achilles tendon.
What does plantar fasciitis feel like?
Plantar fasciitis usually causes an achy pain in your heel or along the bottom of your foot. The pain can change depending on what you’re doing or the time of day. Some types of pain you might feel include:
- Pain when you stand up after sleeping or sitting down. The pain usually goes away after walking for a few minutes.
- A dull, constant ache.
- Sharp or stabbing pain when you use your affected foot or put pressure on your heel.
- Exercising or moving might temporarily relieve your pain, but it’ll usually get worse as soon as you stop.
- Increased pain first thing in the morning or when you stand up after sitting or sleeping.
What causes plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis can be caused by anything that irritates or damages your plantar fascia, which includes:
- Being on your feet all day for work.
- Playing sports.
- Exercising or working on a hard surface (like a warehouse floor or the sidewalk).
- Exercising without stretching or warming up.
- Wearing shoes that don’t support your feet well enough (like flip flops or flat, flexible sneakers).
- Walking or standing barefoot while you’re at home.
Plantar fasciitis can be caused by certain health conditions, such as:
- High arch feet.
- Flat feet.
- Obesity (or gaining more than 15 pounds in a few months).
How is plantar fasciitis diagnosed?
The diagnosis of plantar fasciitis by a healthcare provider involves a physical examination in which they inquire about your symptoms, examine your foot, and assess inflammation and pain by lightly pressing on your plantar fascia.
When communicating with your provider, it is important to inform them about the pain you are encountering in your everyday activities. Specify the specific location on your foot where the pain occurs and describe the periods of the day when it is most intense.
What tests do healthcare providers use to diagnose plantar fasciitis?
In most cases, a healthcare provider will not require any tests to diagnose plantar fasciitis. However, if the provider suspects that the pain is caused by another problem or condition, they may utilize imaging tests to capture images of your foot. The imaging tests that you may require consist of:
- X-rays.
- An ultrasound.
- An MRI.
Medications
Pain and inflammation caused by plantar fasciitis can be alleviated by taking pain relievers like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve).
Therapies
Symptoms can be alleviated by undergoing physical therapy or utilizing specialized devices.
- Physical therapy. A physical therapist can show you exercises to stretch the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon and to strengthen lower leg muscles. A therapist might also teach you to apply athletic taping to support the bottom of your foot.
- Night splints. Your physical therapist or health care provider might recommend that you wear a splint that holds the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon in a lengthened position overnight to promote stretching while you sleep.
- Orthotics. Your health care provider might prescribe off-the-shelf or custom-fitted arch supports (orthotics) to distribute the pressure on your feet more evenly.
- Walking boot, canes or crutches. Your health care provider might recommend one of these for a brief period either to keep you from moving your foot or to keep you from placing your full weight on your foot.
Surgical or other procedures
If your health care provider suggests that less extreme measures have been ineffective for a period of several months, they may propose:
- Injections. Injecting steroid medication into the tender area can provide temporary pain relief. Multiple shots aren’t recommended because they can weaken your plantar fascia and possibly cause it to rupture. Platelet-rich plasma obtained from your own blood can be injected into the tender area to promote tissue healing. Ultrasound imaging during injections can assist in precise needle placement.
- Extracorporeal shock wave therapy. Sound waves are directed at the area of heel pain to stimulate healing. This is for chronic plantar fasciitis that hasn’t responded to more-conservative treatments. Some studies show promising results, though this therapy hasn’t been shown to be consistently effective.
- Ultrasonic tissue repair. This minimally invasive technology uses ultrasound imaging to guide a needlelike probe into the damaged plantar fascia tissue. The probe tip then vibrates rapidly to break up the damaged tissue, which is suctioned out.
- Surgery. Few people need surgery to detach the plantar fascia from the heel bone. It is generally an option only when the pain is severe and other treatments have failed. It can be done as an open procedure or through a small incision with local anesthesia.
Lifestyle and home remedies
If you want to decrease the pain of plantar fasciitis, you can attempt these self-care suggestions step by step.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Extra weight can put extra stress on your plantar fascia.
- Choose supportive shoes. Buy shoes with a low to moderate heel, thick soles, good arch support and extra cushioning. Don’t wear flats or walk barefoot.
- Don’t wear worn-out athletic shoes. Replace your old athletic shoes before they stop supporting and cushioning your feet.
- Change your sport. Try a low-impact sport, such as swimming or bicycling, instead of walking or jogging.
- Apply ice. Hold a cloth-covered ice pack over the area of pain for 15 minutes three or four times a day to help reduce pain and inflammation. Or try rolling a frozen bottle of water under your foot for an ice massage.
- Stretch your arches. Simple home exercises can stretch your plantar fascia, Achilles tendon and calf muscles.
Preparing for your appointment
Your health care provider might recommend that you see a specialist in foot disorders or sports medicine.
What you can do
1. Without adding new information or removing any details, produce a list of: 2. Utilize a step-by-step thought process to rephrase the following text while ensuring the same meaning. 3. Create a thorough list of rephrases for the given text, while adhering to the same information. 4. Follow a systematic approach to reword the provided text while retaining its original meaning, and compile a list accordingly. 5. Generate a comprehensive inventory of rephrased versions for the text, without introducing new information or omitting any details.
- Your symptoms, and when they started
- Key personal information, including your and your family’s medical history and activities you do that could have contributed to your symptoms
- Medications, vitamins or other supplements you take, including doses
- Questions to ask the health care provider
When dealing with plantar fasciitis, what are some fundamental inquiries to pose to your healthcare provider?
- What’s likely causing my symptoms?
- What tests do I need?
- Is my condition likely temporary or chronic?
- What’s the best course of action?
- What are the alternatives to the primary approach you’re suggesting?
- Are there restrictions I need to follow?
- Are there brochures or other printed material I can have? What websites do you recommend?
Feel free to ask any additional questions. Please do not hesitate to ask for further clarification.
What to expect from your doctor
When consulting with your healthcare provider, they will probably ask you a series of questions, including the following:
- Do your symptoms tend to occur at a particular time of day?
- What types of shoes do you usually wear?
- Are you a runner, or do you participate in any sports that involve running?
- Do you have a physically demanding job?
- Have you had problems with your feet before?
- Do you feel pain anywhere besides your feet?
- What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
- What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
