Loudoun County, Va. — Plantar fasciitis is one of the more common foot injuries we see here in physical therapy. The pain can be caused by injury or an insidious onset. Some of the most common symptoms include stabbing or dull pain on the bottom of the foot or by the heel, many times greater in the morning. You may also feel or notice that the tissue on the bottom of your foot is tender to touch.
What are some common causes of plantar fasciitis?
Performing a new activity too much, too soon, too fast; wearing improper footwear; and poor foot and ankle mechanics can cause plantar fasciitis.
What is the plantar fascia?
The plantar fascia is a band of tissue starting at your heel and running along the bottom of your feet and attaching to your toes.
What is the function of plantar fascia?
The plantar fascia acts to stabilize the bones in the foot while walking to be able to toe off and propel your body forward when walking.
What are some signs I may have plantar fasciitis?
You have a burning sensation of pain at the heel or along the bottom of your foot. It’s often worse in the morning.
Why does it hurt when I touch it?
The fascia is often inflamed and you may have adhesions within the fascia that can be painful to touch.
What else can it affect?
Besides limiting what you do in your daily life, you may begin to limp or compensate how you perform certain activities. If compensations continue it can lead to another issues such as back and knee pain.
What should I do about it?
DON’T WAIT! You should contact a physical therapist who will be able to perform an in-depth functional evaluation and figure out if it’s truly plantar fasciitis, what the cause of it is and how to fix the problem.
Don’t wait to let the pain progress to where it causes you to limp and avoid leisure activities/work; seek help. Physical therapy is an effective conservative way to relieve and treat plantar fasciitis and help you return to the activities you love doing pain free. Physical therapists will take you through a functional evaluation to determine where the pain is coming from and how to treat it. They will talk to you about your daily activities and the leisure and work activities you’d like to get back to doing. That could be anything from sleeping through the night to training for an iron man or just playing with your kids.
NOTE FROM OUR SPONSOR: If you or someone you know has experienced or is currently experiencing any of these issues or just have generally achiness/pain in your foot call our office today at 703-450-4300. We can evaluate you and determine what steps you need to take to return back to your pain free life!
