What the heck is plantar fasciitis? Well if you ever had severe heel or arch pain from getting up in the morning and it goes away during the day and then comes back again after you’ve been sitting. Then you have plantar fasciitis.
90% of foot problems are inherited. You can be born with a high arch foot or a foot that flattens out too much. It may never bother you until later in life or until you are very active. And because you are not getting proper support in your shoes you can start pulling and stretching a ligament on the bottom of your foot called the plantar fascia. This ligament is very elastic and because when you go to bed at night you sleep with your feet going down. This can cause the ligament to contract up so that when you first get up in the morning it’s very tight and can cause you severe pain. The problem is that it comes and goes so most people will ignore it thinking it will go away by itself
Plantar fasciitis can be very painful. Many people try home remedies or suggestions that they pick up off the Internet. Most of these only help a little. If you have severe pain then you need to see a podiatrist.
Your podiatrist will recommend x-rays to make sure that there is no other problems going on inside your foot or heel. There are many different treatment options to help alleviate your pain. 95% of the time conservative care will get rid of your pain and stop it from coming back. These treatments include cortisone injections, night splints to keep your foot up while you’re sleeping. Special straps can be used during the daytime. Over-the-counter arch supports and custom orthotics. Most times oral anti-inflammatories are not that effective. In extremely rare cases when treatment is not working physical therapy can be recommended.
Most recent articles have discussed Podiatrists treatment options from across the country with patient’s with plantar fasciitis. The one thing that they all agree upon is that surgery is rarely recommended. And should only be considered when all other treatments have failed and should not be considered for at least 6 months up to 1 year from the start of treatment..
Contact your local experienced podiatrist who can treat you properly. Howard J. Tzorfas D.P.M.