Planter fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain. When you first wake up in the morning and swing your feet out of bed, do your first few steps feel stiff or painful? Or does your heel hurt when you stand up after a long time sitting? If so, you may have the condition known as plantar fasciitis: an inflammation or swelling of the band of tissue along the bottom of your foot.
Although the pain from plantar fasciitis is normally worse with the first few steps and can resolve, the condition may become chronic if ignored. Not only could this cause nonstop heel and foot pain, it could adversely affect how you walk — contributing to leg, hip, and back problems.
A thick, broad, flexible sheet of tissue runs all across the bottom of the foot, connecting the heel to the base of every toe. This sheet of connective tissue is the plantar fascia (plantar refers to “the bottom of the foot;” fascia are thin sheets of tissue covering most organ).
The plantar fascia behaves like a shock absorber for the arches of your feet. With every step you take, it stretches, and supports your body’s entire weight.
Plantar fasciitis can be thought of as an “over-use injury” to the arch of your foot.
While the plantar fascia is remarkably strong and flexible, if it is subjected to too much stress, it can tear — just like a sheet of over-stretched fabric.
Tiny tears can easily be self-repaired by the body, but repeated or large tears can cause much greater inflammation, which is what causes the pain and stiffness of plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis occurs in both men and women, most often between the ages of 40 and 70. In most cases, this condition begins with mild pain in the heel, which if untreated can spread through the entire arch of the foot.
Typical causes include:
This condition can occur suddenly, or develop over a long period of time. The classic symptom is a sharp, stabbing pain in your heels when you take your first steps in the morning. The pain normally subsides after a few paces.
Other typical symptoms include heel pain from any or all of the following activities:
Your doctor normally can diagnose plantar fasciitis based entirely on a history and physical exam.
Indicators include:
If your doctor believes your pain is being caused by something else, such as a pinched nerve or stress fracture, an X-ray or MRI may be taken.
Ultrasound imaging is not normally used to diagnose this condition. Bone spurs are no longer considered to be among the causes of plantar fasciitis.
You may treat this condition using simple home remedies. Non-surgical remedies have a very high success rate, with such treatments lasting from nine to twenty-four months.
For immediate relief, you may try the following:
For longer-term treatment, you may:
If you suffer from an extreme case of plantar fasciitis, your doctor may prescribe more aggressive treatment options, which include:
The two main surgical options are to lengthen overly tight calf muscles (gastrocnemius recession), or to perform a partial cutting of the stressed plantar fascia (plantar fascia release).
However, complications of surgery include weakened arches, nerve damage, and only partial relief of the foot pain.
Yes. There are steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing sore fascia in your feet.
This condition can be prevented and treated. The first step to relieving your pain is getting a diagnosis. If you live near Corpus Christi, Texas, call Coastal Orthopedics at 361.994.1166 to make an appointment for an examination.
Article written by: Rob Williams, MD