Do you suffer with heel pain or plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar
fascia, a piece of strong, thick tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot. It connects the heel
bone to the toes, creating the arch of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is very common with around 1 in 10
people experiencing plantar fascia symptoms at some point in their life.
There are a range of potential causes of plantar fasciitis, including flat feet, tight calves, poor
footwear, or excessive training loads. Factors that may contribute to the development of this
condition include poor foot position (over pronation), stiffness of the foot, ankle or knee, weakness
of the muscles which stabilise the hip and lower limb, over training or poor footwear.
Typically the pain will worsen with the first steps in the morning or after resting and may improve
with activity once it warms up. If the cause is not correctly identified, treatment only provides short
term relief. There is strong evidence that physiotherapy interventions can be effective for treating
plantar fasciitis.
How can we help with your Plantar Fasciitis pain?
A detailed history, taken by our Physiotherapist, of the pain or injury can help to diagnose the
injury, while a physical assessment of the foot, ankle, knee and surrounding structures, can
determine the specific structure and the best course of action in treating the condition. It may take
several months and a combination of different treatments to help you recover from plantar fasciitis
as the healing time of the plantar fascia tissue is slow. Treatment may include soft tissue
massage, trigger point therapy or dry needling of the calf muscles and plantar fascia, mobilisations
of joints of the foot and ankle and supportive taping of the foot to reduce the pressure and a rehabilitation program of stretches and strength exercise.
