Plantar fasciitis is heel pain. More specifically, it is pain that occurs underneath the heel at the point where your plantar fascia joins your heel bone.
The plantar fascia is a tough fibrous tissue that runs under your foot and has several functions in the foot during walking and running like load distribution and maintaining stability. This heel pain can be acute or chronic, meaning it can come suddenly or you may have been living with it for months.
Many professionals consider plantar fasciitis to be an overuse injury. It has been described as a chronic inflammatory process likely due to stress, stretching and over loading of the plantar fascia tissue.
What are the common symptoms?
The first common symptom is pain under the heel of the foot usually described as “sharp and achy”, commonly worse with barefoot walking. The second common symptom is difficulty walking long distances or running. Another symptom is worse pain in the morning when taking the first few steps out of bed or after a long period of rest.
Who gets Plantar Fasciitis?
Occurs in approximately 10% of people who run regularly
People between the ages of 40 and 60
People with “flat feet”
Obesity
People who spend a prolonged time standing on hard surfaces
Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis
Conservative therapy should always be the first line of treatment for plantar fasciitis. This means trialling non-invasive methods of therapy before moving to more invasive intervention such as shock wave therapy or surgery. For majority of patients, evidence suggests conservative therapies prove to be beneficial in relieving heel pain.
Our physiotherapists here at Bankstown Physiotherapy can treat your Plantar Fasciitis pain. Book your appointment with us today by calling 9793 3119!
Article originally by: https://thehillsphysio.com.au/blog/what-is-plantar-fasciitis