If you deal with heal pain, you may have plantar fasciitis. This condition is due to inflammation in the thick band of tissue in the bottom of your foot. This tissue connects your heel bone to your tones. Plantar fasciitis is common in runners, people who are overweight, and people that wear the wrong kind of shoes.
Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis
This condition causes a stabbing pain in the bottom of your foot. The pain will be centered right around your heel, and the pain is generally worse right after waking up. Some people see the pain being more severe if they stand for long periods or right after they get up after sitting. People report that the pain is worse after running, not while running.
Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis
Treatment for plantar fasciitis will vary depending on the severity and includes the following treatment options:
- Medications. Medications like naproxen sodium and ibuprofen can help to ease the pain and inflammation caused by plantar fasciitis.
- Physical therapy. Seeing a physical therapist can help to show you exercises that will stretch the Achilles tendon and the plantar fascia to help alleviate pain and inflammation.
- Night splints. Your doctor may determine that you need to wear a splint during the night to hold the plantar fascia in place to help stretch it.
- Taping. You may need to use athletic tape to support the bottom of your foot.
- Orthotics. You may need to get custom-fitted arch supports to help with the pressure on your feed.
- Surgical. In some cases, you may need surgical intervention. This procedure will have the plantar fascia detached from your heel bone. This is only used when other treatment options have not worked well.
- Injections. There is the option of injecting steroid medication to the tender area to help with pain relief. There are risks and side effects to this procedure, so it should only be used in severe cases.
- Shock therapy. Extracorporeal shock therapy may also be used for people who have chronic plantar fasciitis.
- Ultrasonic tissue repair. This procedure uses ultrasound technology to help break up damaged tissue, which is then removed.
- Weight loss. Carrying more than your ideal weight can cause plantar fasciitis to be worse.
- Wear supportive shoes. You should find shoes that have good arch support and thick soles. Never walk around barefoot, as this will worsen your condition.
- Ice. Apply ice to the affected area at least three to four times every day. You should do this for at least 15 minutes to help reduce inflammation and help with the pain.
Prevention Of Plantar Fasciitis
There are several things that you can do to help prevent plantar fasciitis if you are a runner. These things include:
Rolling Your Plantar Fascia
Get a cold water bottle and place it on the floor. Make sure that it is very cold or frozen. Roll your foot with the cold water bottle. Doing this after a run will help you a lot. Make sure that you pay special attention to the arch of your foot and do it for at least five to ten minutes. This will help to reduce pain and inflammation.
Stretch Your Feet
One thing that often causes issues with plantar fasciitis is calf tightness. This tightness can tighten both your plantar fascia and your Achilles tendon, which will cause irritation. You should stretch several times a day, especially as soon as you wake up and right before you run. Stretches you should be doing include:
- Towel grabbing
- Foot writing
- Calf stretches
- Heel drops
Improving Your Running
To prevent plantar fasciitis when running, you will need to work on your form. You do not want to land with too much of a heel strike as it will increase your risk of injury. Look how your feet are landing, and pay special attention to your foot pronation. Make sure that you are landing evenly all the time in the middle of your foot. Doing this will help to minimize any aggravation to your feet.
Choosing The Right Shoes
You should have running shoes that offer a lot of support to your entire foot. They should not allow your heel to move around, and they should have a very thick sole. If you have had issues with your feet before, you may want to ensure that you put custom orthotics in to help minimize any issues with inflammation. You should replace your running shoes at least after six months because they become worn out after that.
Maintaining a Healthy Weight
When it comes to running and avoiding plantar fasciitis, you will want to maintain your weight. When you gain weight, it can cause the onset of this condition. The more you weigh, the more impact you are putting on your feet.
Strength Train
Strength training can help you to avoid any issues with plantar fasciitis. Strengthening the muscle around your midfoot will help you to have more support for your whole foot structure. Exercises you need to do include:
- Calf raises
- Toe curls
- Doming
- Toe spreads and squeeze
Knowing Your Limits
Another thing that you can do to help avoid this condition is to make sure that you listen to your body and know your limits. If you start to feel pain in your arch or heels while running, it is time to stop and rest. If you continue to have pain, you will need to seek treatment for plantar fasciitis. If you have goals that you want to do, like increasing your mileage, do this slowly so that you do not put too much stress on your feet.
Plantar fasciitis can cause you some pain and can interfere with your running. If you do not want to deal with this condition, you will need to take the proper precautions to ensure that you do not develop it. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you may develop this issue. If so, make sure that you treat it properly and allow yourself some time to recover before you go out running again.
