What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar Fasciitis is a common condition of repetitive strain injury in the foot which leads to pain in the heel area.
The word Plantar Fasciitis is a medical term used to describe inflammation in the plantar fascia, a tough connective tissue that runs to the bottom of the foot and supports the architecture of the foot, which is important in assisting us during walking.
Causes of Plantar Fasciitis.
These may be the culprits behind the inflammation and pain in your plantar fasciitis.
Weight gain, or if you carry heavy weight frequently.
Tight muscles around the foot have changed the structure and shape of the foot.
The place or the surface where you are walking, running or standing is hard, which is putting pressure on the plantar fascia.
The type of shoes you wear.
You are involved in long hours of prolonged or vigorous activity.
You are a person either suffering from lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis.
If you experience these symptoms, then probably you are suffering from plantar fasciitis -
You are feeling pain in the heel area (bottom of the feet), after walking, running, jumping, or standing on a tough surface area.
Feeling burning or ache in the heel area causing stiffness and finding it difficult to stand on the foot.
Worse pain when you wake up in the morning.
It was found in many people who were suffering from plantar fasciitis, the condition was ok when they were engaged in the activity, but started its effects when they stopped it.
Risk factors of Plantar Fasciitis -
If you are someone suffering from any of these complications, then there is a high chance you may get plantar fasciitis.
If you are a male or female between the ages of 40-70. It is seen that It is more common in women than in men.
Overweight or obese.
Runner or sprinter.
Engaged in activities that demand standing for long hours.
If you are wearing shoes with soft soles.
Suffering from either high arches, flat feet or Achilles' Tendons.
5 ways to manage Plantar Fasciitis.
If you are suffering from Plantar Fasciitis, then either you may go to the doctor or there are some exercises that you can do at home to prevent or reverse the effects of plantar fasciitis.
Stretching in the Bed - Stretching is the best way to heal plantar fasciitis, just doing a few minutes of stretching early in the morning, can help immensely in dealing with plantar fasciitis.
Sit straight with your feet open and straight in the opposite direction, take a long soft cloth and rope it around the ball of your foot and gently pull it towards your direction until you feel stretched.
Repeat this every day after waking up daily for 5-10 times.
Massage - Massage is an effective way to get relief from plantar fasciitis, it may be costly but there's a free alternative to it also - Take a tennis ball, place your feet on top of it and gently roll it until you feel a little pressure, rolling will cause the plantar fascia to loosen up, and the inflammation and irritation will go away.
Or you can simply take a bottle filled with water completely frozen, and roll it from your feet like a tennis ball.
Take a Break - Constantly standing, running or walking on hard surfaces, will only ruin the plantar fascia and will trigger inflammation and irritation, which will lead to a worse condition.
So it is better to take frequent breaks from those types of activities and give your legs rest until they are fully recovered.
Heel Raising - Take support from the wall, and then raise the whole body with both toes and then come back to the ground slowly.
Perform this until you feel fatigued and pressured in your feet and then take a rest and perform again a total of 5-10 sets.
Toes Stretching - Sit in a chair comfortably and cross the bad foot (in which you are feeling pain) on the opposite knee. And try pulling back on the toes till you feel stretched on the bottom of your foot.
Hold it for 15 seconds and massage the bottom of your foot and repeat this 5-6 times, until you feel a little relief.
Conclusion
When it comes to treating plantar fascia, it is recommended to see a doctor. However, if you perform these exercises at home daily, then you will get rid of it, but it can take up to a year or more to fully recover from it.
Not sure? Then why wait? Contact us now.
Physiotherapists at the fit o fine clinic use cutting-edge advanced practices that include but are not limited to the use of massages, movements, and exercises.