• Home
  • About Us
    • Our Therapists
    • Our Location
  • Telehealth
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Schedule
    • Forms
    • Notice of Privacy Practices
    • Insurances
  • FAQ
  • Instagram
  • Reviews
  • Treatments
    • Patient Resources
    • Functional Movement Performance Training
    • Occupational Therapy
    • Referral Program

Plantar FaSciitis - What It Is and What To Do

9/4/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
When people complain of heel and foot pain, one of the most common terms tossed around is “Plantar Fasciitis”.  Exactly what is Plantar Fasciitis?  It is inflammation of the plantar fascia, or in layman’s terms, inflammation of the thick band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes. It is responsible for supporting the arch of your foot.  
Picture
It presents itself as a sharp pain in the bottom of the foot.  It is usually around the heel or just in front of the heel bone. The pain is usually worse when you first get out of bed or get up after sitting for a long time. In addition, being on your feet for long periods of time usually exacerbates the pain.  Discoloration and significant visible swelling do not usually occur.  It is, however, tender to the touch.
Picture
What is the best treatment for Plantar Fasciitis?  Common sense says if it hurts, don’t use it.  This is impossible, since we all need to walk!  I recommend three basic steps to begin the healing process.  First, always wear shoes, even around the house.  It is important to wear shoes with good arch support.  A quality tennis shoe works well.  This will take some of the pressure off the plantar fascia.  Going barefoot usually increases pain due to the lack of support.  

Picture



​Second, stretch your calves.  One of my favorite stretches is to create an incline that you can comfortably stand on for 1-2 minutes at a time.  By making the calves more flexible, some of the pressure is taken off the plantar fascia.  

Picture

​Third, ice the painful areas of your feet.  This helps take some of the inflammation and, in turn, pain out of the foot (since inflammation is contributing much of the pain).  My favorite way to ice is to freeze a water bottle and roll it on the bottom of the foot over the painful area.  This not only ices the area but massages it as well.

Plantar Fasciitis treatment is usually pretty straight forward but requires time and patience.  Two things are important to remember: First, “no pain no gain” is not a good approach.  You want to keep your treatment pain to a minimum while still making strides to stretch the area when pain is minimal.  Second, try to catch it early!  If you can catch it before it gets bad, it is much easier to treat.   Give it a month or so of supportive shoes, resting, and stretching, and it should improve.  If not, it is time to see your local physical therapist to try some more exercises and treatment options.
Picture

​

By: Brian Colvin, PT

1 Comment
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Richmond VA link
1/2/2021 06:37:43 am

Such a nice blog …….really interesting!This is quite informative article , which provides us a lot of information about plantar fasciitis - what it is and what to do.Moreover provides the best treatment for plantar fasciitis.
Thank you for bringing this topic to our attention!
Keep sharing!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    Steve Bartz, PT
    Mason Riegel, PT
    Brian Colvin, PT
    ​Lisa Bartz
    ​Rebecca Popma

    Categories

    All
    Cold Weather Tips
    Common Injuries
    Exercise Blogs
    Healthy Tips
    Injury Prevention
    Insurance & Direct Access
    Meet Our Therapists
    Physical Therapy
    Sports Injuries
    Warm Ups & Stretches
    Warm Weather Tips

    Archives

    April 2021
    February 2021
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015

    RSS Feed

Home

Our therapists

contact 

Hudsonville Physical Therapy
3152A Port Sheldon Rd.  Hudsonville, MI 49426
(t) 616-662-0990          (f) 616-662-0992
​email@hudsonvillephysicaltherapy.com
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Therapists
    • Our Location
  • Telehealth
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Schedule
    • Forms
    • Notice of Privacy Practices
    • Insurances
  • FAQ
  • Instagram
  • Reviews
  • Treatments
    • Patient Resources
    • Functional Movement Performance Training
    • Occupational Therapy
    • Referral Program