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Plantar Fasciitis causes pain in the heel. The plantar fascia is a thick, weblike ligament that links the front of your foot to your heel. It serves as an absorber of shock and supports your foot’s arch to help you walk.
One of the most common orthopaedic disorders is plantar Fasciitis. Your plantar fascia ligaments are undergoing much wear and tear in your everyday life. Too much pressure can break or tear the ligaments on your feet. The plantar fascia is inflamed, and the swelling causes discomfort and stiffness in the foot.
The cause of the Plantar Fasciitis is still unknown. A 2003 study indicated that the disorder could include degeneration, rather than plantar fascia inflammation. Since Fasciitis means “the inflammation of a fascia,” plantar fasciosis may be a better term.
Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis
The biggest problem for those with plantar Fasciitis is pain at the bottom of the heel or even at the mid-foot bottom section. Generally, it only affects one foot, but it can impact both feet.
Pain resulting from plantar Fasciitis slowly progresses over time. The discomfort can be slow or intense. Many people feel a pain or ache at the base of the foot spreading from the heel outward.
Usually, the pain gets worst in the morning as you take the first steps out of bed, or as you have been sitting or lying for a while. This can be very difficult to climb stairs due to heel stiffness.
Due to increased discomfort or inflammation, the pain may flare up after prolonged exercise. Those with plantar Fasciitis usually do not experience discomfort in the course of the operation but instead only after it ends.
Testing and Diagnosis of Plantar Fasciitis
The doctor will do a physical exam to check the foot for tenderness and the precise position of the pain. It is to ensure the discomfort is not the result of another foot injury.
They can ask you to bend your foot during the evaluation while pressing on the plantar fascia to see if the pain gets worse as you turn, and better when you point your toe. They will also check if you have swelling or mild redness.
Moreover, your doctor will evaluate the health of your nerves and strength of your muscles by checking the following:
- Muscle tone
- Balance
- Reflexes
- Sense of sight and touch
- Coordination
In some cases, doctors go for an X-ray or MRI scan to make sure that nothing else is causing pain in your heel, for example, a bone fracture.
Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis
Home therapies such as icing, taking rest, and the use of braces and anti-inflammatory medications are also the first approaches to treat this disorder. When those don’t relieve the discomfort, a corticosteroid injection directly into the weakened ligament segment will help. Your doctor can do this in their office.
However, if pain continues, here are some other ways to heal it:
Plantar Fasciitis Exercises
Smooth stretches can help alleviate Plantar Fasciitis and even avoid it. Stretching your calves and even the plantar fascia helps to relax your muscles and reduce heel discomfort.
Taking time off from specific workouts, such as running, it is necessary to allow the plantar fascia time to heal. Swimming and other low-impact exercises will help you to exercise without exacerbating pain in your heel.
Stop and rest when exercising so that the pain does not return. Remember always to stretch before beginning your workouts.
Stretches are easy to make for plantar Fasciitis. Just a few props will be required, including a chair and a foam roller or even just a frozen water bottle. Know the best stretches to help treat plantar Fasciitis and avoid it.
Plantar Fasciitis Surgery
The most dramatic therapy is surgery. This is only done in situations where the pain is severe or lasts longer than 6 to 12 months.
Your surgeon partially detaches the plantar fascia from the heel bone in a release of the plantar fascia. This decreases stress but weakens the foot arch, and there could be a loss of full function.
When even after regular stretching, you have a hard time flexing your feet, your doctor may prescribe recession of gastrocnemius. This surgery includes lengthening the tendon of the calf to increase the mobility of the ankle and relieving tension on the plantar fascia.
Surgery can lead to chronic pain and nerve damage, and it should only be done after all medical options have been attempted.