Plantar Fasciitis Specialist

What is plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia. “Plantar” means the bottom of the foot; “fascia” is a type of connective tissue, and “itis” means inflammation.

Heel spurs are soft, bendable deposits of calcium that are the result of tension and inflammation in the plantar fascia attachment to the heel. Heel spurs don’t cause pain, but may be evidence that you have plantar fasciitis.

Your plantar fascia encapsulates the muscles in the sole of your feet. It supports the arch of the foot by acting as a bowstring to connect the ball of your foot to the heel.

When walking, the moment the trailing leg begins to lift off the ground, the plantar fascia endures tension that is approximately two times your body weight. This moment of tension may be increased if there is a lack of flexibility in your calf muscle. Due to the repetitive nature of walking, plantar fasciitis may be a repetitive stress disorder similar to tennis elbow.

Symptoms of Plantar fasciitis include:

• Pain under the heel which develops gradually over time.
• Often pain may radiate forwards into the arch of your foot.
• You may have tenderness in the sole of your foot and under your heel when pressing in. This can range from being slightly uncomfortable to acutely painful.
• Pain is usually worse first thing in the morning.
• Symptoms improve during the day, but may return later, especially if you are on your feet alot.

What causes plantar fasciitis?

You may develop plantar fasciitis for a number of reasons. Some of the most common include:

• Inadequate flexibility in the calf
• A sudden increase in activity
• Spending too much time on your feet

Being overweight or obese may also increase your risk of developing plantar fasciitis. Like the inflexibility of your calf muscle, carrying extra weight also adds stress to your plantar fascia.

Anatomy

The Plantar Fascia (or plantar aponeurosis) is a broad, thick band of tissue that runs from under the heel bone (calcaneus), to the front of the foot.

Its function is to provide support to your foot when standing and shock absorption when running.

How is plantar fasciitis traditionally treated?

Typical treatments for plantar fasciitis includes a series of at-home exercises, rest, ice, and stretching to help reduce the pain in your foot. If this fails, the following treatments are typically tried.

• Custom orthotics
• Physical therapy
• Muscle stimulants
• Ultrasound
• Theraband
• Cortisone injections
• Night splints

If these treatments fail to improve your pain, surgery may be recommended.