Plantar Fasciitis: What You Need To Know About Symptoms, Causes And Podiatry Treatments
Approximately two million cases of plantar fasciitis are reported every year. If you are experiencing pain under your heel especially early in the morning, there is a possibility that you have developed plantar fasciitis.
The most common cause of this is probably an inflammation called plantar fasciitis commonly brought about by activities such as jumping running and walking on hard surfaces or even excessive body weight.
An accurate diagnosis and suitable lasting treatment strategy can be achieved through the assistance of a specialised foot doctor for people with plantar fasciitis. It is a very common and readily treatable issue with a high success rate of resolution, which increases even more if people seek professional help sooner rather than later.
Understanding Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis occurs when the thick band of tissue that extends from your heel bone to your toes becomes inflamed. It is an ordinary ailment but it is important to accurately determine its cause in order to treat it effectively.
In most cases, people suffering from this disorder usually feel sharp pains around their heels especially during mornings and after they have rested for long hours. This can often result from sports such as jogging where individuals strain their feet by exhibiting abnormal feet functioning like flat feet or high arches, or just due to body weight issues.
Unattended cases of Plantar Fasciitis may lead to persistent heel pain which could interfere with overall knee foot hip back health status. Differentiating it from other conditions such as Achilles tendonitis or calcaneal spurs is also important since treatment differs.
A podiatrist will diagnose it based on your symptom presentation and biomechanical examination might need x-rays or ultrasound scans of the foot. Although plantar fasciitis treatment is can be challenge in persistent cases, many respond to appropriate podiatry treatments and need not become chronic. Early intervention is key.
Plantar Fasciitis – Common Symptoms
- The most noticeable sign is a stabbing sensation in your heel when taking the first few steps each day.
- As the day goes on, you may notice an increase in pain after standing for long periods. It’s not just your legs that are tired, your foot is protesting too. Moving around can sometimes relieve it to some extent.
- Moreover, there could be inflammation or tenderness in one of your feet. Every step you take could seem challenging because you cannot load anything on that leg.
- Morning stiffness and pain beneath the arch of your foot are other symptoms. Whenever you sit down for any length of time and then get up again, it might hurt.
- Also known as jogger’s heel, this condition usually worsens with running or walking on hard surfaces.
Causes Of Plantar Fasciitis
Prevention and treatment start with knowing what triggers plantar fasciitis. This painful condition often originates from excessive use of your plantar fascia; which is a thick band connecting the heel to toes.
- Jumping dancing activities such as running can lead to these overuse injuries resulting in swelling and also heel pain associated with it.
- Your foot mechanics will also affect whether or not you develop plantar fasciitis. For instance, if you have got flat feet or high arches then chances are that you will suffer from plantar fasciitis more easily than others do.
- Weight loss also counts: whenever someone is overweight they put a lot more pressure on their soles leading to subsequent development of this problem if they become susceptible to it.
- Another potential reason is staying for long periods, particularly on hard surfaces. This is usually a professional risk for individuals in occupations such as teaching or working in retail.
Any or all of these factors can lead to plantar fasciitis. If you have any of them, it will be easier to protect your feet and decrease the chances of getting platar fasciitis if you can remove / decrease the above causes.
Accurately Diagnosing Plantar Fasciitis
After considering possible causes and risk factors for plantar fasciitis, an accurate diagnosis should follow. This includes taking a detailed history of your health and examining your foot properly. The podiatrist can then look out for symptoms like heel pain, morning stiffness, and swelling.
Sometimes your podiatrist may ask you about the nature of the pain that can often become worse with activity. This will reveal how far the condition interferes with your daily living activities. Additionally, imaging studies like ultrasound may be used to evaluate the status of your plantar fascia.
One thing to remember is that there are other foot conditions that may seem like symptoms of plantar fasciitis. Your foot doctor will eliminate these conditions so they do not prescribe incorrect or ineffective treatment procedures. They also look out for degeneration when cases are chronic thereby enabling their treatments plans to be customised.
Options for Podiatry Treatment
You should ideally make lifestyle changes and adopt behaviours to boost foot health so as to prevent future bouts of plantar fasciitis. Since you will rely on your feet every day it is prudent to take regular good care of them (click on each of the tabs below to learn more).
Consider what you do for exercise. Do you launch into intense workouts without warming up or cooling down properly? This results in overuse injuries like plantar fasciitis.… Gradually build up your physical activity levels whilst incorporating stretches into your routine so that your feet remains protected from such forms of strains.
Doing regular stretching with your calf muscles and plantar fascia can enhance their flexibility and avoid tightness, another cause of plantar fasciitis.
RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.
Simple, non-surgical option for plantar fasciitis pain.
Rest feet when heel hurts.
Given the limitations of some of the more traditional treatments for plantar fasciitis, shockwave therapy offers a scientifically supported, non-invasive option for pain relief and tissue healing.
This method, harnessing high-energy sound waves, targets the afflicted area to foster both immediate and lasting improvements.
Your podiatrist may recommend custom orthotics, a powerful tool designed to match your foot’s unique shape, offering targeted support and relief from plantar fasciitis symptoms.
Custom orthotics distribute pressure evenly across your foot, promoting proper alignment and reducing pain. The importance of custom orthotics for certain cases of plantar fasciitis is key to lasting recovery.
Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best ways to prevent plantar fasciitis. Overweight burdens the feet with excessive pressure on its arches which progressively leads to pain on these parts.
Further cushioning with supportive footwear having proper arch support minimises additional stress exerted upon these limbs.
Summing Up Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Pain...
When struggling with this painful condition called “plantar fasciitis,” patients liken it to walking on thorns. But you don’t need to despair. This issue can be resolved once and for all so it becomes a distant memory.
Pay attention to the triggers, consult with an experienced heel pain podiatrist who will provide you with a professional diagnosis and predscribe a tailored plantar fasciitis tear treatment plan. Don’t let plantar fasciitis take away your quality of life – there are many effective and lasting treatments available.
Ignoring heel pain or plantar fasciitis never cures it and your situation will likely get worse the longer you leave it. Take control today by booking in online or call us today on (03) 4237 7165 to see one of our podiatrists and get this issue sorted once and for all.
Heel Pain & Plantar Fasciitis
Understand what causes your heel pain and what you can do to get rid of it once and for all. Find out what treatments can get you back to walking pain free so you can enjoy living an active life again!
