Plantar Fasciitis
Do you wake up in the morning with a sharp pain in your heel? Does this pain slowly improve as you take more steps? You may be suffering from Plantar Fasciitis.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar Fasciitis, also known as Plantar Fasciopathy, is the most common condition that our Podiatrists see in the clinic. It is a soft tissue injury of the plantar fascia, a thick band of connective tissue on the bottom of your foot that helps to stabilise and support your foot when you walk, run and move.
What causes Plantar Fasciitis?
The plantar fascia plays a vital role in allowing the foot to absorb shock when we land and provide us with a rigid lever and elastic energy when we push off.
The cause of Plantar Fasciitis is multifactorial but is mostly related to an increase in load greater than the capacity of the plantar fascia tissue.
Some examples of an increase in load include:
Limited ankle range of motion
Increased activity
Foot Biomechanics - The way your foot functions during gait can increase load on the plantar fascia
Time spent on your feet at work
When the plantar fascia is overloaded it can become inflamed, thickened and degenerate. This repetitive tension and load can cause microtears in the plantar fascia at the insertion of the heel.
When is it mostly painful?
It can be mostly painful first thing in the morning or rising from sitting as the plantar fascia is at its shortest functional length at rest and pulls tight on the insertion of the heel when we stand. The pain can tend to improve once we hobble around for a short while as the plantar fascia becomes more elastic but returns with increased walking/load during the day.
How do we treat Plantar Fasciitis?
A quick Google search will show you that there is a wide range of treatments available for Plantar Fasciitis. It is important to seek a Health Professional & build a treatment plan that is best suited to your needs.
Our treatment plan for Plantar Fasciitis can be simplified into 3 main stages of rehab:
1. De-load
The first stage of treatment is focused on reducing pain and symptoms, this can be achieved by Decreasing load to the plantar fascia. Our goal at Active Health is to reduce load to the painful heel to encourage healing but still keep you moving. We can provide solutions to slightly modify your activities to decrease pain while we work on building the capacity of the plantar fascia and the supporting structures.
2. Re-load
Once your symptoms and pain levels have started to improve, we focus on improving the strength and capacity of the plantar fascia and the surrounding muscles by gradually Re-introducing load. The plantar fascia responds well if it is loaded in the right way at the right time. Our team at Active Health will work together to formulate a load management plan that keeps you active but still allows adequate time for healing.
The key areas that we work on include:
Ankle & Big Toe Mobility
Foot & Ankle Strengthening
Balance and and lower limb stability
3. Increase load
This stage of rehab focuses on progressively Increasing load to further strengthen the foot, ankle and lower limb. This will ensure a full return to activity, often stronger than you were pre-injury, to prevent it from returning and get you back doing what you love.
