Plantar Fasciitis Is a Common Condition of Heel Pain
The plantar fascia is the long fibrous ligament along the bottom of the foot. It is one of the body’s strongest structures and can withstand more than 30 times its weight. Plantar fasciitis occurs when tears develop in the tissue, causing pain and inflammation. The most common ailments include burning, stabbing, or aching pain in the foot heel.
Most people with heel pain feel it in the morning because the plantar fascia tightens as we sleep. When you wake in the mornings and swing your feet out of bed to take your first steps, you place pressure on the fascia. The ligament tautens, causing sudden pain. But as your body warms and you increase movement, the tissue warms up, and the pain lessens. However, acute pain may return after prolonged standing, increased physical activity, or prolonged sitting.
The exact cause of plantar fasciitis remains unclear, as several factors contribute to the condition, including obesity, specific exercise regimens, and age. The most common explanation is biomechanical dysfunctions within the foot, as repeated microtrauma (microtears) of the plantar fascia can lead to chronic degeneration of its fibres. This degeneration also disrupts the pathways for blood flow to the damaged fascia, making it harder for the cells to repair and heal.
So, though plantar fasciitis is not necessarily an inflammatory condition, as its name suggests (fasciitis in Latin translates to inflammation), this term is a misnomer, as the condition can occur without inflammation, making plantar fasciosis the more accurate term. However, most people, including ourselves, use the term plantar fasciitis because that is what most mistakenly understand it to be.
Can A Podiatrist Treat Plantar Fasciitis?
In many cases, diagnosing heel pain as plantar fasciitis is incorrect, as numerous muscles, soft tissues and nerves interact with the heel. This is where a trained podiatrist with experience treating sports injuries and foot and ankle conditions can assess your heel to provide the right therapies and treatment options to alleviate your plantar fascial pain.
The most immediate step to address plantar fasciitis is to reduce the forces that are stressing the plantar fascia. One offloading technique is low-dye strapping, where your plantar fasciitis specialist applies medical tape to the foot to support the relevant areas, such as the arch or ankle. This can be very helpful either before or during a running event.
However, taping is only a short-term solution that addresses immediate pain, swelling, and inflammation. To best recover, adapt your exercise routine to include more non-weight-bearing activities. Sometimes, taking a break from running may be necessary to ensure your foot recovers.
Non-Invasive Plantar Fasciitis Treatment Options
- Shockwave Therapy: Extracorporeal shockwave therapy can help you get back on your feet immediately and is part of a balanced treatment protocol if you’re looking for a quick way to heal plantar fasciitis. It is used to alleviate short-term pain by stimulating local inflammation, increasing blood circulation, and promoting tissue regeneration.
- Footwear Assessment: Tight calf muscles are a risk factor that can lead to your body overcompensating, resulting in plantar fasciitis. An assessment with our podiatrist can help you identify the proper footwear with the right amount of cushioning. Wearing running shoes with a higher heel-to-toe drop, for example, will ensure all parts are adequately cushioned and prevent other injuries, such as blisters or calluses caused by friction.
- Orthotic Insoles: Sometimes, the problem lies with the angle of the foot when it lands on the ground. Orthotic insoles can help correct extreme foot pronation, in which the arch of the foot flattens due to the angle of the step. In many cases, foot orthotics will relieve pain by altering the way the foot lands, reducing the excess force transmitted through the plantar fascia. Custom-made or premade orthotic insoles can be catered to your gait to help the plantar fascia function properly. Adjusting the angle and pressure on the foot with orthotic insoles can also help restore the foot to its usual function, hopefully addressing the conditions that contribute to plantar fasciitis.
- Exercises: Regular stretching throughout the day can help build strength and flexibility in the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon. Stretching the calf and hamstring muscles also helps reduce the stress on the plantar fascia. Your podiatrist may recommend using a cooled rolling instrument under the foot three times a day to alleviate the pain from the condition. These exercises are all part of the treatment our podiatrist may recommend for your foot mobilisation therapy.
- Night Splints: As mentioned, one problem with plantar fasciitis is that the foot muscles can tighten overnight, worsening pain and discomfort in the morning. Night splints help stretch the foot throughout the night and prevent muscle contraction while sleeping. They can be worn with socks to make the device more comfortable, ease your pain, and assist in healing.
Can Plantar Fasciitis Cause Toe Pain?
The cause of plantar fasciitis is not fully understood, as clinical research continues to evaluate the condition and deepen our understanding. From our experience with patients who come into our podiatry clinic, the factors that contribute to heel pain include:
- Micro-tendon tears that stretch from the heel to the big toe
- Overuse injuries that began as a niggling nuisance before becoming a debilitating pain
- Heel spurs and ankle instability
- Lack of big toe mobility
Most foot stability comes directly from the big toe and the arch of the foot. When the foot strikes the ground, the arch and the big toe help to evenly distribute the impact forces across the foot. A healthy gait relies on the ability of the big toe to have a greater toe upward bend at about 50 to 90 degrees when the body’s weight passes over the foot. As the microtears of the fascia degenerate, this restricts the range of motion to tighten the calf and plantar structures.
Can Plantar Fasciitis Go Away on Its Own?
Plantar fasciitis can resolve on its own, but it may take more than a year for the pain to subside. Further complications and injuries to other parts of the body can occur without proper diagnosis and treatment. As each person’s body and biomechanics differ, an appointment with our leading podiatry team can help you understand the root cause of the specific movement patterns that contribute to your plantar fasciitis.
How Can I Cure or Prevent Plantar Fasciitis?
After an initial assessment of your condition, your podiatrist will prepare a tailored treatment plan designed for your injury. The next step to “curing” plantar fasciitis is progressively increasing activity levels. This will allow the plantar fascia to gradually adapt until it can withstand the usual running pressures.
You can also ease recovery by wearing a podiatrist-prescribed orthotic insole or shoe inserts as you return to your preferred running level. Adhering to a plantar fasciitis treatment exercise plan to stretch the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon will stimulate healing and prevent the condition from worsening. Ultimately, our goal at The Foot Practice is to limit the risk factors linked with overloading, as your foot needs to be ready for proper weight-bearing activities to recover best.
Through our pioneering 3D infrared analysis, our team develops a gait retraining programme to help you avoid future injuries. The cutting-edge technology examines aspects of your gait, including foot pronation, hip extension and abduction, dorsiflexion, maximum eversion, and other factors, to re-educate your gait and improve running efficiency while reducing injury risk. Using real, measurable data, we monitor your progress to ensure proper foot function.
Finally, a balanced diet should help the plantar fascia repair and allow biological regeneration of the injured tissue.
Where Can I Find Help with Plantar Fasciitis?
If you are suffering from plantar fasciitis, contact our podiatry clinic before what seems like a minor issue becomes a chronic condition or a more complex injury. Our clinical team of experts in Singapore for plantar fasciitis treatment can help you find relief from pain and get back to your everyday activities.
We offer a variety of plantar fasciitis treatments to reduce inflammation and promote healing of the damaged tissue. The Foot Practice’s integrative approach includes footwear analysis, biomechanics training, orthotic therapy, and other treatments customised for your needs. Contact The Foot Practice today to schedule an initial consultation with our experienced professionals in Singapore.
