Plantar Fasciitis Specialist

What is plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis occurs when the long band of tissue that connects your heel to your toes (plantar fascia) becomes irritated and inflamed. This condition affects about 2 million people every year, making it one of the most common causes of pain at the bottom of the heel. 

What are the symptoms of plantar fasciitis?

Stabbing heel pain that’s most severe right after you get up in the morning is the telltale symptom of plantar fasciitis. You may also experience pain when you stand up after extended periods of rest, like a long car ride. The pain of plantar fasciitis is usually worse after exercise rather than during it.

Sometimes, plantar fasciitis can cause your foot to develop a bony growth (spur) on your heel. However, heel spurs usually don’t cause pain or require treatment. 

What causes plantar fasciitis?

The plantar fascia is a ligament that supports the arch of your foot and attaches your heel bone to your forefoot. This ligament is capable of enduring a high level of stress, but too much pressure can damage the tissue. This damage leads to inflammation, which causes pain.

Most of the time, plantar fasciitis develops without a specific injury or isolated cause. This condition often results from repetitive stress from high-impact activities like running or playing sports.

You may be at greater risk for developing plantar fasciitis if you have very high foot arches or tight calf muscles. Being overweight or obese can also put extra pressure on your feet and increase your risk of plantar fasciitis. 

How is plantar fasciitis treated?

Conservative treatments you can try include rest, rolling the arch of your foot over a frozen bottle of water, and stretching exercises. Wearing splints overnight to help loosen overly tight muscles also helps. Over-the-counter, anti-inflammatory pain relievers, like ibuprofen, help reduce pain and inflammation. You should also wear supportive shoes and avoid going barefoot.

If your heel pain continues despite these measures, you should visit Cortez Foot & Ankle Specialists. It’s important that you get medical advice before your plantar fasciitis gets worse and becomes harder to treat. You might benefit from steroid injections to reduce inflammation and pain and stem cell injections to promote healing.

Custom-molded orthotics (supportive shoe inserts made to fit you) offer both short-term relief and help prevent further damage. Severe cases of plantar fasciitis that aren’t responding to any other treatments often require surgery. This involves cutting the tissues to release the tension.

If you have plantar fasciitis, call Cortez Foot & Ankle Specialists, or request an appointment online today to learn more about your treatment options.