This month we will be looking at Plantar Fasciitis. Here we will talk about what plantar fasciitis is and what you can do to help relieve the symptoms.
Plantar fasciitis is a condition, which causes heel pain through tissue damage at the attachment of the plantar fascia, which is directly under your heel bone. The plantar fascia is a band of connective tissue that runs along the sole of your foot from your heel to the balls of your foot. One of its main roles is to maintain the bones and joints in position and enables us to push off from the ground. Bruising and overstretching the ligament can cause inflammation and heel pain. If you are also really tight through the back chain (your neck muscles, long spinal spinal muscles, hamstrings and calves) this can lead to extra tension and pain through the sole of your foot.
Some risk factors for plantar fasciitis include:
- Certain sports that place a lot of stress on the heel bone e.g. running, dance and aerobics.
- Flat-footed or high arches. Those with flat feet may have reduced shock absorption and those with high arches have tighter plantar fascia.
- Being overweight can place greater mechanical load on the plantar fascia.
- Pregnancy associated weight gain, swelling and hormonal changes may lead to mechanical overload of the plantar fascia.
- Wearing certain shoes with poorly designed arch support or stiff soles may contribute to this problem.
What can you do?
Ways to prevent plantar fascia from occurring include:
- Choosing support shoes and not going barefoot, especially on hard surfaces.
- Wearing shoes will a little bit of a heel.
- Replacing old worn out runners.
- Warm up before starting any activity or sports.
- Maintaining a healthy weight to minimise the stress on the plantar fascia.
- Stretching out the back chain from neck muscles, upper back muscles, down into the hamstrings and calves.
Still no relief?
If you are experiencing pain and haven’t been able to relieve the symptoms with the suggestions above come in to the clinic and let us do it for you!