Treat Plantar Fasciitis

If you suffer from severe pain in your heel, and/or under your foot, you probably are a victim of plantar fasciitis. It is the most typical cause of such pain in your foot. To understand the cause and treatment to heal (excuse the pun) it, you should understand what is the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a flat web of ligaments that connect at your heel and the front of your foot, just beneath the surface of the bottom of your foot.

The plantar fascia is the base for the arch of your foot (where your foot arcs up at the bottom side, as opposed to the instep, or top of your foot). Any time the bottom of your foot, or your heel is painful, you have probably strained the plantar fascia. It will be inflamed, swollen and weakened, and the condition is called plantar fasciitis.

If you are involved in sports, or are on your feet most of the time, you are prone to plantar fasciitis. As you age, you become even more susceptible to it. Once you have plantar fasciitis, the pain is more severe while on your feet, with even more pain when you must walk up stairs.

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   Plantar fasciitis is caused by a strain of the plantar fascia band of ligaments

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   Repeated pressure on this foot part will cause it to be frayed where it connects.

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2. 2
   Your nervous system sends a pain signal to you that there are tears on this band of ligaments.

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3. 3
   Any of these situations will cause plantar fasciitis

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   1. Staying on your feet for an extended time from walking, jogging, or standing.
   2. Carrying excess body weight.
   3. Your arches are either flat or too high.
   4. You have too much foot pronation, in which your feet land with more pressure on the inside of your feet.
   5. You are wearing the wrong sized shoes, or shoes without proper support.
   6. Your Achilles tendon is too tight.

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1. 1
   The pain will be especially severe at the bottom of your foot and/or heal when you first get up from bed after sleeping.

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2. 2
   After you walk a while, the pain and stiffness will subside.

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3. 3
   Near the end of the day, the severe pain will return

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   It will hurt much more if you walk up stairs, or must be on your feet for many hours.

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4. 4
   Be aware that you may have another foot condition with similar symptoms

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   It is recommended to visit your physician to be sure of the cause of foot pain, so that you can treat it properly.

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• The physician will examine your injured foot as you are standing and walking. He will ask you:
  • What injuries and ailments you have had.
  • What kinds of physical activity you have regularly.
  • The exact location of the foot pain, and when the pain is most severe.
  • Permission to x-ray your damaged foot. This is to eliminate bone spurs or broken bone as the cause of your foot pain.

1. 1
   Many factors determine the best form of treatment(s) to heal the plantar fasciitis.

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2. 2
   Rest the damaged foot

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   Stay off your feet as much as possible until the foot is healed.

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3. 3
   Avoid walking on hard surfaces as much as possible.

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4. 4
   Do a sets of 10 toe and calf stretches when you first get up, and then another one in the evening each day.

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5. 5
   Use an ice pack on your injury for 20 minutes a couple times a day.

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6. 6
   Freeze water in a plastic liter-size soda bottle

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   Roll the bottom of your affected foot back and forth on the bottle for several minutes each day.

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7. 7
   Take ibuprofen, or naproxen, or aspirin every four hours to relieve the pain and reduce swelling.

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8. 8
   Wear only shoes that support your feet well with cushioning

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   You will find relief with heel cups or custom shoe inserts for both feet.

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9. 9
   Your doctor may give you a steroid injection if the plantar fasciitis persists.

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1. 1
   It may take as long as a year to recover from this condition

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   Surgery is not recommended unless you still have pain after a year.

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2. 2
   Since plantar fasciitis occurs when there is a damaged ligament, it will take months to completely heal.

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3. 3
   As soon as you discover that you have this condition, get proper treatment and stay with it regularly.

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If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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