About Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar Fasciitis means inflammation of your Plantar Fascia, which is a strong band of tissue (like a ligament) which stretches from your heel to your middle foot bones. It supports the arch of your foot and also acts as a shock-absorber. Repeated small injuries to the fascia (with or without inflammation) are thought to be the cause of Plantar Fasciitis. The injury is usually near to where the plantar fascia attaches to your heel bone.
You are more likely to injure your plantar fascia in certain situations. For example if:
- You have recently started exercising on a different surface (for example, running on the road instead of a track, or vice-versa).
- Changes in footwear.
- Being overweight: Puts extra strain on your heel.
- Recent increase in activity.
- A strain: Such as sudden stretching of your sole.
- Muscle tightness: Tight calf muscles increase tension on the Achilles tendon. This can affect your ability to flex your ankle and make you more likely to damage your plantar fascia.
- Muscle weakness: Muscles work together in chains and weakness in the muscles of the foot, leg, buttock and core can all compromise the stability of the foot.
Plantar Fasciitis Pain and Treatment
Often there may be no obvious cause, particularly in older people, it might feel like it’s come out of nowhere. A common wrong belief is that the pain is due to a bony growth or ‘spur’ coming from the heel bone (calcaneum). Many people have a bony spur of the heel bone but not everyone with this gets Plantar Fasciitis.
There is a lot that can be done by an Osteopath to improve the mechanics of the foot and reduce muscular tension and inflammation in an area. Lots of the work will be done at home, strength and flexibility exercises are the best long-term cure. If there is significant arthritic changes in the foot, congenital flat feet, weakness caused by neuropathy, or simply a case that isn’t responding to treatment and exercise, you might be recommended some Orthotics, which can support the arches of the feet in order to reduce the stress on the plantar fascia whilst you’re wearing your shoes.