Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis, a common cause of heel pain, is inflammation caused by excessive stretching of a broad band of fibrous tissue running along the bottom of the foot called the plantar fascia. In addition to plantar fasciitis, excessive stretching of the plantar fascia can also lead to other conditions including heel pain, arch pain, and heel spurs.

With Plantar Fasciitis, the pain is most often felt on the underside of the foot  where the heel and arch meet. Pain is often worse first thing in the morning, or after a long rest. This is because the plantar fascia contracts back to its original shape during rest. Pain often eases during the day as the plantar fascia continues to be stretched.

Flat feet or over-pronation is a leading cause of plantar fasciitis. It occurs upon weight-bearing in the walking process when the arch collapses, causing the plantar fascia to be stretched away from the heel.

Other causes of plantar fasciitis include:

• Ill-fitting shoes
• High arches
• Walking, standing or running on hard surfaces for long periods of time.
• Being overweight
• Tight calf muscles or achilles tendons.

There are many ways to help treat and prevent plantar fasciitis:

• Wearing custom arch supports
• stretching calf muscles
• Wearing good quality, supportive footwear
• Keeping the plantar fascia stretched overnight with night splints
• Icing and elevating the heel during rest.

At Foot Solutions Plymouth, we source and develop products to treat plantar fasciitis and heel pain. These include:

• Custom arch supports to support the plantar fascia
• Supportive, well-constructed footwear
• Shoes with rocker soles which help treat heel pain
• Night splits for stretching the plantar fascia overnight
• Gel Heel Cups.

Visit our Plymouth store for a free digital foot assessment.