Plantar Fasciitis Causes and Treatment
What Is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis or plantar fascia pain is a condition causing pain in the foot.
It is characterised by ‘first step pain’, this is when it's painful when first putting weight on the foot in the morning, and the pain that’s worse when getting up after a long period of sitting. It’s an overuse injury and is common in those that stand for long periods of time or those that have recently increased their activity level. Plantar fasciitis normally starts gradually and the pain is normally located over the inner or medial aspect of the foot.
Causes & Treatment
Many treatments can be helpful for plantar fasciitis. Ensuring the joints around the foot and ankle are moving correctly is one of the first steps the physiotherapist may take.
A restriction in the movement of the ankle joint may persist after an old ankle sprain or injury. This can alter walking and running patterns so restoring this movement with manual therapy is crucial. Tight muscles in the calf can also contribute to the development of plantar fascia pain. This can be treated with trigger point dry needling or soft tissue release. A night splint can also be used to prevent shortening of the calf muscles and reduce the first step pain that’s characteristic of this condition.
Movement analysis of the lower limb is an important factor in the treatment of plantar fascia pain. This condition can often be associated with flattening of the arches or changes in biomechanics further up the kinetic chain. The kinetic chain is engineering concept used to describe human movement and how groups of body segments, connecting joints, and muscles working together to perform movements, from bottom to top, the feet and ankles, the knees, the hip and pelvis, the shoulders, and the head.
Heel Spur vs Plantar Fasciitis
Here at the clinic we find many people get confused as to whether they have a heel spur or plantar fasciitis. Although both affect the heel and are closely related, there is a distinct difference. A heel spur is a bony-like growth that occurs on the heel, it may have little to no symptoms but will be there forever unless surgically removed. Plantar fasciitis is inflammation that occurs along the plantar fascia ligament and occurs due to abnormal force such as overuse or being overweight.
Here at our Dublin 4 clinic we can undertake Functional screening which can identify movement flaws and corrective exercises can be prescribed. If there are issues with foot biomechanics, Orthotics may be prescribed to correct alignment.
Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition but with a thorough physiotherapy approach pain can be reduced and function can be restored. Contact us here at Ballsbridge Physiotherapy for more information or book an online appointment.
Physiotherapy
We specialise in the treatment and prevention of injuries and conditions. If you are suffering with any health aliments that you feel we could help you with, get in touch today. We provide treatment for a wide age range from 9 years to 90 years old.