Anyone who has experienced the orthopaedic complaint Plantar Fasciitis will know how painful this can be.
Our plantar fascia ligaments experience a lot of wear and tear in your daily life. Simply too much pressure on your feet can damage or tear the ligaments.
Plantar Fasciitis is an inflammation of the thick band of tissue that connect the heel bone to the toes. The plantar fascia is a thick, weblike ligament that connects your heel to the front of your foot. It acts as a shock absorber and supports the arch of your foot, helping you walk.
Pain from plantar fasciitis develops gradually over time. The pain can be dull or sharp. The pain is usually worse in the morning when you take your first steps out of bed, or if you’ve been sitting or lying down for a while. Climbing stairs can be very difficult due to heel stiffness. The pain usually flares up after prolonged physical activity due to increased inflammation and irritation. It's common to not feel the pain during the activity but as you stop you do start to feel the pain.
I am all for taking lots of action myself and I am also all for encouraging my remedial massage clients to start to implement some "home remedies", some things that can really make a big difference. Of course, if these don't improve the condition, other treatment options may be what you need to talk to with your physician.
I have found that rest is important. Your body usually tells you what it wants you to do. It's up to us if we listen. Although rest could be "active" rest, which means we choose an activity that will not aggravate the condition i.e stay away from running or walking and perhaps swim or do some weight training instead. If there is will, there is always a way.
Rolling your foot on a frozen water bottle helps a lot as well. 15 - 20 minutes, 3 - 4 times a day can help reduce swelling. Gentle stretching is important and strengthening the calf muscles is also important.
You may also want to make sure you have appropriate shoe wear. I have found that the shoe brand HOKA has helped myself and also a lot of my clients. You may also want to look into a soft sole support as you can see in the picture below. I found this insole at the Athlete's foot and it's been really helpful.
Having regular massage from a Remedial Massage Therapist is really helpful. This person can help massage your calves as well as your plantar fascia. Remedial Massage was a "must" in my own recovery and I have helped many clients myself improve from this condition.
