Plantar Fasciitis - What Should You Know?

Plantar fasciitis is commonly found in middle aged people. It also affects elderly individuals who are constantly standing and walking. It is known to affect people who are into sports or even those in the defense forces. It can happen in one foot or both feet.

Causes:

Repeated strain on your heel and foot can cause this problem:

1. You walk, stand, or keep running for drawn out stretches of time, particularly on hard surfaces
2. You are overweight
3. You wear shoes that don't fit well or the soles are hard.
4. You have tight Achilles tendons or calf muscles

Symptoms:

A vast majority of patients with plantar fasciitis experience pain when they begin to move about after getting out of bed or sitting for a while. The pain is severe in the morning and eases out after walking a little distance.

Treatment:

There are numerous things you can try to improve your foot:

1. Avoid walking or running on hard surfaces.
2. To lessen the pain and swelling, you can try applying ice on your heel.
3. Stretching exercises – stretching exrecises of the foot, toes ,calf, hamstrings which are tight are needed. There are various online resources to learn and do these exercises or one can go to a physiotherapist for the same.
4. Get another pair of shoes. Pick shoes with great curve support and a padded sole. Alternatively you can buy gel padded insoles to fit your current shoes.
5. The use of steroid injections is discouraged for this condition and patients should be vary of these practises.

Patients can also consult an orthpaedic surgeon if they are not sure of the cause of pain or if prolonged physiotherapy and exercise does not help in this condition.