Plantar Fasciitis

Pain under that heel that is worse first thing in the morning generally only means one thing - plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a long ligament that attaches to the ball of the foot and to the bottom of the heel, so its job is to hold up the arch of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation or degeneration of this ligament. Most common it occurs at the insertion into the heel, but can occur anywhere along the ligament. Anything that increases strain on the arch of the foot is going to be a risk factor for plantar fasciitis - this includes being overweight; being on the feet all day; sporting activity; tight calf muscles; and poor foot biomechanics. The treatment of plantar fasciitis is generally straight forward and should be aimed at reducing the load on the arch and hence the strain on the plantar fascia. This means reducing the amount of time on the feet; stretching the calf muscles; losing weight (though this has to be a long term goal); and the use of foot orthotics to reduce the load. There are many other treatment modalities for plantar fasciitis, but they do not reduce the load in the plantar fascia, but facilitate healing.

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