| Under normal circumstances, your plantar fascia | | | | will go away on its own. However, in most cases, |
| acts like a shock - absorbing bowstring, supporting | | | | the longer you wait to seek treatment, the more |
| the arch in your foot. But if the tension on the | | | | chronic the condition becomes, making it more |
| bowstring becomes too great, it can create small | | | | difficult to achieve your desired results. |
| tears in the fascia. Repetitive stretching and | | | | Treatment Options for plantar fasciitis and arch |
| tearing can cause the fascia to become irritated | | | | pain |
| or inflamed, and leads to adhesions in the fascia | | | | There are many conservative treatment options |
| and surrounding tissues. | | | | available. To begin with, simple shoe modifications |
| What is actually causing this foot pain? | | | | such as well designed foot insole, padding, and |
| There are many potential causes when dealing | | | | support can help alleviate the tension on the |
| with foot pain, heel spurs, and plantar fasciitis. | | | | plantar fascia. Foot orthotic inserts can provide |
| One possible cause is mechanical misalignment of | | | | support for stressed joints and soft tissues. They |
| the foot. This places excessive tension on the | | | | are often constructed to increase shock |
| fibrous plantar fascia, causing pain and | | | | absorption. Custom orthotics have helped many |
| inflammation, which is called plantar fasciitis. | | | | patients in our office improve their quality of life. |
| A second cause can be from degeneration of the | | | | Another effective appliance would be a plantar |
| fat pad under your heel, which is primarily caused | | | | fasciitis night splint. This basically is a sock that can |
| by poor footwear. Shoes without a proper heel | | | | be worn at night that keeps the fascia in a |
| cup, or worse yet, without any heel cup | | | | stretched state to promote plantar fascia |
| (flip-flops), can flatten that fat pad quite quickly. | | | | lengthening. |
| Wearing footwear such as high-heeled shoes, | | | | Ice massage is another commonly used |
| including western-style boots, for long periods of | | | | treatment option. Take a paper cup and place it in |
| time can cause the tough tendon-like tissue of the | | | | the freezer with water in it. Once it is frozen peel |
| bottom of the foot to become shortened. | | | | the paper down exposing some of the ice and |
| Another cause could be a chronic inflammation of | | | | have someone massage the arch of your foot |
| the fascia causing the foot pain. Heel pain can also | | | | with the block of ice until the area becomes |
| be attributed to inflammatory arthritis, gout, | | | | numb. |
| infection, injury, nerve and collagen disorders, | | | | If padding and splinting seem to be ineffective the |
| tumor, or trauma. | | | | next course of treatment which I use with my |
| Why do I have a heel spur and what is causing it? | | | | patients do is to start breaking up the fascial |
| A heel spur is a bony overgrowth on the bottom | | | | adhesions in the foot. The best way to do this at |
| or your heel bone. The heel spur is usually a result | | | | home is to place a golf ball on the floor and place |
| of an inflamed tendon that attaches the plantar | | | | your foot on top of it. With moderate pressure, |
| fascia, across the arch of your foot and inserts | | | | to your tolerance, roll the ball around on the arch |
| on the heel (calcaneous). When the tendon | | | | of your foot. If this proves to be too intense, a |
| becomes irritated your body attempts to support | | | | soup can or tennis ball can be substituted instead. |
| the area and starts to deposit bone, as a | | | | If pain and discomfort persist after these ultra |
| protective measure. The size or presence of a | | | | conservative measures have been exhausted, a |
| heel spur does not always correlate with the | | | | more aggressive approach should be tried under |
| amount of pain you have. | | | | the instruction of your health care professional. In |
| Heel spurs can be created from a multitude of | | | | our office we offer you creative solutions in |
| causes: being overweight, having poorly fitting | | | | breaking up the adhesions, either by hand or with |
| shoes or high heels, biomechanical foot and gait | | | | the assistance of specially designed tools. |
| problems (a complex motion including forefoot, | | | | Mobilizing the bones of the foot and ankle has |
| heel, ankle, knee, and hip motions), gout, and | | | | been a very compelling treatment option in our |
| rheumatoid arthritis. | | | | office. This mobilization is normally performed by a |
| What symptoms are associated with heel spurs | | | | small thrust by hand (adjustment) or activator to |
| and plantar fasciitis? | | | | correct faulty movement patterns that have |
| Heel pain is usually worse in the morning, especially | | | | developed over time. |
| with the first few steps, or after periods of rest. | | | | Physical therapy is the next step in our dynamic |
| Some relief can be found following activity, but | | | | approach. We utilize ultrasound and cold (soft) |
| pain returns after extended amounts of time | | | | laser to facilitate faster recovery and promote |
| standing or walking. As the condition intensifies, | | | | tissue healing. We also teach you a specific |
| there can be pain felt even while resting. The pain | | | | stretching regimen to help reestablish more |
| occurs because you are stretching the adhered | | | | functional movement patterns. |
| plantar fascia. Heel and sole pain are the classic | | | | This article is not written for the purposes of |
| symptoms but ankle pain may also be present. | | | | diagnosing, treating, or rehabilitating any condition, |
| The pain is usually sharp and is located primarily | | | | symptom, or disease. This is written for |
| where your heel and arch meet, but can be | | | | informational purposes only. Please have your |
| located anywhere on the arch. | | | | condition evaluated by a healthcare professional. |
| There is a possibility in some cases that the pain | | | | |