Think about how your feet feel after a long walk or hike. They hurt a little, right? Typically the pain goes away after resting for a while, but if you continue to have pain in the bottom of your foot, you may have plantar fasciitis. It’s a common condition, especially if you have flat feet or don’t have correctly-fitted shoes. But what can you do? Should you ice it and hope for the best?
Ice can be a great way to reduce inflammation. Still, if you have plantar fasciitis, conservative treatment like physical therapy can help you reduce pain and get back on your feet. Our team at EW Motion Therapy helps clients with plantar fasciitis every day, and if by reading this article, we can help you get the treatment you need and stay out of pain, then we’ve done our job. Read on for our discussion of plantar fasciitis, some associated risk factors, how physical therapy can help, and other things you can do at home.
What is plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the tissue underneath your heel, or the plantar fascia. It is a long, thin ligament directly beneath the skin on the bottom of your foot that connects the heel to the front of your foot and supports your arch. The ligament is designed to absorb the high stresses and strains on our feet when walking, running, or playing sports.
Plantar fasciitis usually presents as heel pain while standing or walking. Some things could exacerbate the condition, including prolonged standing or walking as part of your job or introducing a new exercise activity. Tight calves or general weakness in your foot can also contribute to symptoms. For some people, the pain is worse in the morning, but it can lessen after walking or standing for a while.
Sometimes, plantar fasciitis can be caused by bone spurs, a calcium buildup from a stress reaction at a tendon attachment that can rub against the tissue and cause discomfort. If you feel this is the case for your condition, getting imaging done with your doctor would be the best course of action. If the condition is not treated, you could tear the plantar fascia (heel tissue) or cause increased tightness in your calves as they try to absorb stress.
Risk factors of plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is common, but some groups are at a higher risk than others. Runners can often develop plantar fasciitis, especially if they push their body’s tolerance or have ill-fitting shoes. People between the ages of 40-60 and those who are overweight are more at risk, as are people who are on their feet for most of the workday, like teachers. Additionally, if you have flat feet or very high arches, you could be at a higher risk for plantar fasciitis without the right shoes for your daily activities or occupation.
How can physical therapy help plantar fasciitis?
Conservative treatment approaches like physical therapy often prove the most effective for plantar fasciitis. The primary goal of your physical therapy would be to reduce your pain so you can return to your favorite activities without the pain returning. Your therapist will likely employ some massage or manual therapy techniques to loosen the affected tissue and walk you through some stretching and mobility exercises. If you have weakness in your foot, you could have weakness all the way up the chain to your hips - your physical therapist will use a whole-body approach to assess this and ensure realignment and strengthening in your hips, knees, and ankles. They can also sometimes use ultrasound for warmth in affected areas and to reduce inflammation.
Plantar fasciitis physical therapy can take anywhere from 4 weeks to months of treatment to become pain-free. The length of your treatment will depend on the damage present to the ligament and your ability to reduce stress in the affected area. Still, your therapist will encourage you along the way and help you celebrate the small wins throughout your treatment. They will also assign some exercises for you to do at home.
What else can you do for plantar fasciitis symptoms?
Now you know more about how physical therapy could help reduce plantar fasciitis pain. When you are not in the clinic, rest is often a powerful healer, and ice can help reduce inflammation - try freezing a water bottle and rolling it under your foot. You can also roll a spiky ball to loosen tissue, and stretching your calves and plantar fascia can loosen you up. For runners especially, new shoes can often help plantar fasciitis pain - you can talk to your physical therapist about footwear or go to a running shoe store in your area.
Patience is the primary key to success when going to physical therapy for plantar fasciitis. Still, if you stick with your program and control inflammation, you can become pain-free and return to your favorite activities. We see many clients with plantar fasciitis at EW Motion Therapy, and our team is always encouraging and ready to celebrate the small victories along your journey. If you are curious about what else physical therapy could do for you, click the button below to download our answers to 20 frequently-asked physical therapy questions.
