Do you experience heel pain every time you stand up or walk? You might be surprised to learn how prevalent that is among people of all ages. Plantar fasciitis is an injury that affects daily life quite significantly. Treat the pain right away to speed up the healing process. Don’t let it linger and get worse!
What Is Plantar Fasciitis?
In medical terms, plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a thick and fibrous band that connects your heel bone to your toes. Usually, this inflammation is the result of wear-and-tear on the plantar fascia, which impedes and makes movement painful.
Causes and Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis
No matter how sturdy your body is, the heel often receives the brunt of the impact when you walk and do other physical activities. These activities create micro-tears along the plantar fascia, thickening it and causing inflammation.
The main symptom of plantar fasciitis is heel pain, as that is where the affected tissue resides. As a result of the inflammation in the plantar fascia, affected patients may feel pain when they stand up after a long period of sitting down due to the blood that is now rushing to their heels. Furthermore, the injury makes it generally painful to stand and walk.
What Not To Do With Plantar Fasciitis
While plantar fasciitis is painful, it’s typically not enough to cause someone to stop doing physical activity altogether. However, not taking care of the injury can cause it to become worse. Here is what you should not do if you suffer from plantar fasciitis:
- Ignore the Pain: Pain lets your body know that something is wrong. Ignoring your aching plantar fasciitis will only lead to more tears and even greater inflammation.
- Wear Improper Footwear: Your shoes should cradle your feet and not place increased pressure on your feet, or else you risk making the injury worse.
- Place Your Weight On The Impacted Area: Placing more load on your affected foot will only worsen the inflammation.
How To Heal Plantar Fasciitis Quickly
In order to alleviate the pain and promote faster healing, there are a few things you can do.
- Ice the Area: Icing the affected plantar fascia will lower the inflammation and numb your heel to the pain. You should apply a cold compress regularly throughout the day for the best results.
- Stretch: Simple stretches can be done anywhere to increase blood flow to your plantar fascia and promote quicker recovery.
- Rest: It goes without saying that resting your plantar fascia will allow the body to heal without any problems.
How To Treat Plantar Fasciitis
Long-term treatment of plantar fasciitis will generally be centered around strengthening and stretching the plantar fascia. Strengthening the plantar fascia will lessen the chance of injury, while stretching will loosen the thickness and inflammation of the tissue. If all else fails, platelet-rich plasma can be administered to the torn plantar fascia and steroid injections for strengthening.
Plantar fasciitis is a painful injury that significantly impacts the quality of life. The injury can be treated with the proper treatment and care. Doctors and experts can be a great help on your road to recovery should you suffer from this ailment. Visit Avid Sports Medicine to book an appointment with a medical professional today!