so, what is plantar fasciitis exactly?
Put simply it’s an overuse injury and one of the most common types of foot pain. The thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heal bone to your toes (that’s the plantar fascia bit!) becomes inflamed.
This can lead to discomfort from mild to high levels of pain.
It’s very common in runners or if you’re doing a lot of jumping barefoot on hard surfaces or with badly fitting shoes on.
Foot structure can play a part too so if you have flat feet or high-arched feet, you may be more prone to developing plantar fasciitis.
the symptoms of plantar fasciitis are:
Pain on the bottom of the heel
Pain in the arch of the foot
Pain that increases over a period of months
Swelling on the bottom of the heel
People with plantar fasciitis often describe the pain as worse when they get up in the morning or after they have been sitting for long periods of time.
what causes plantar fasciitis?
One of the biggest causes is improper footwear or overtraining/overuse on unforgiving surfaces like concrete floors. Continual pressure can build up through the body and unfortunately our feet literally foot the load!
ways to help the pain?
Yes, there is! Anything that helps loosen the tissue and reduce the inflammation can help.
- Rest the area
- Stretching
- Therapeutic Massage (that’s me!) 😉
- Reflexology
- Self massage on bottom of feet with tennis ball
- Heat can help but not always
- Avoid going barefoot for a while
- Ice on the back of the heel for 20 mins can help reduce inflammation. (use a towel as a layer between your skin and the ice)
It’s one of those annoying injuries that can be quite unpleasant but with the right treatment and management most people recover fully without too much trouble.
