Plantar Fasciitis / Heel Pain
Do you suffer from a sharp, stabbing pain in the heel or bottom of the foot? Or a pain that worsens as you stand, climb, tiptoe etc? A pain that is worse after long periods of rest or first thing in the morning? Please read on for how we can help you.
Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation / degenerative condition of the plantar fascia (the band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot from your heel to your toes). Heel pain is a common result of plantar fasciitis, as irritation turns into inflammation and pain.
There is strong link between the amount of time you spend on your feet, your body weight and loss of flexibility in your ankle (ankle equinus). What we are good at is restoring joint mobility and muscle flexibility (in particular to your ankle, big toe joint) which in turn will allow you to walk freer and alleviate your heel pain.
We have many tools to tackle this often persistent severe heel pain:
- Manual therapies – fix the muscle and joints and the pain will go away
- Orthotics – we often prefer to use semi-customised orthotics ($70-90) as they are only needed for symptom relief and not long term function.
- Education and tips of how to reduce pain, relevant stretches (in particular the calf and foot muscles), how to walk properly
- Footwear education – supportive, cushioned and good fitting
- And much more such as padding and strapping, orthotic devices, night splints (used to keep muscles stretched while you rest), off weight bearing methods (cam walker boots), physical therapy, and injection therapy.
Other conditions helped by restoring joint mobility and muscle flexibility (in particular to your ankle, big toe joint) are:
- Shin Splints
- Achilles Tendonitis
- Morton’s Neuroma
- Sever’s Disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Knee pain
- Patellofemoral Syndrome
- Stress Fractures
