How Do You Treat Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis refers to an inflamed ligament in the foot. The pain typically originates in the heel bone and extends into the ball of the foot. Most people experience this pain as “first step pain”. This is the pain in the heel when you first get out of bed in the morning or get up after periods of rest. It’s due to the fact that when you are off your feet for extended periods of time, the arch of your foot cools down and contracts. The sudden movement then stretches the plantar fascia. So how do you treat plantar fasciitis and alleviate this pain? Here’s what you need to know.

Basically, treating plantar fasciitis requires a two-pronged approach:

1. Stretch out the tissues in the arch of your foot that are causing inflammation. This may require personalized stretching exercises, physical therapy, ice stretching with The Heller, Orthotics, or night splints.

2. Reduce swelling with a series of cortisone injections and/or oral anti-inflammatories.

Although these treatment methods seem simple, plantar fasciitis is notorious for reoccurring. In fact, 40% of plantar fasciitis cases treated with conservative care reoccur within 2 years.

As a result, some more serious cases may require surgery.

Surgery treatment for plantar fasciitis is one of the more minor surgeries podiatrists perform. It involves a half inch incision on the inside of the heel through which the inflamed structures are released from the heel bone. The podiatrist performs the surgery in an outpatient setting and it lasts about 15 minutes. Then, patients are back in their shoes in about a week or so.

If you suffer from plantar fasciitis, contact our clinic to learn more about which treatment plan is right for you.