What is Plantar Fasciitis
One of the most common causes of foot pain is Plantar Fasciitis. Plantar Fasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia that runs along the bottom of the foot, from your heel to your toes. About 83% of active adults will experience sharp pains in the foot, typically when they are standing up and have been on their feet all day. You may also feel this pain after exercise, but not usually during the exercise, which is an important difference between plantar fasciitis and other types of foot pain.
Since Plantar Fasciitis is so common, it is necessary to understand the root cause and how to prevent this type of pain in the future. We spend so much time on our feet, and it is our main method of transportation, so foot pain is something you’ll want to fix as fast as possible.
Additionally, many people experience pain due to repetitive and unhealthy motions that put pressure on our spine and extremities, like our feet. This pressure and misuse cause a “chronic degenerative state” and irritation to the whole body. So what starts at your feet can radiate up and around your entire body, which means that a healthy foundation at your feet equals a healthy body that you can enjoy living in.
Top Causes of Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis can slow down your active lifestyle quickly. So, you may be wondering what causes this type of pain. The top five causes of Plantar Fasciitis include very flat feet or high arches, obesity, prolonged periods of standing, tight calf muscles, and arthritis.
Many causes of Plantar Fasciitis can also be detrimental to other body parts. For example, people with very flat feet tend to develop low back and hip pain due to an altered gait. The following are other ways that plantar fasciitis could be a larger discovery than initially thought:
Obesity: although foot pain is common, you are also getting more stress on the knees and low back, increasing pain.
Jobs that require long periods of standing: the biggest concern here is posture. You start to lean or stand on one leg when you stand for an extended period. That will add pressure to only one side, and we end up with unilateral foot/knee/hip pain.
Tight Calf Muscle: research studies have shown that isolated gastrocnemius contracture occurs in 83% of patients who have plantar fasciitis
Arthritis: this tends to be a catch-all term when someone has chronic pain. Arthritis is technically joint inflammation. Similarly, plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the fascia. This global inflammation throughout the body affects the joints and fascia of the feet, a common side effect in juvenile idiopathic arthritis and other arthritic conditions.
Does Plantar Fasciitis go away on its own?
One thing said to patients in pain is, “This too shall pass.” Meaning that all pain will eventually move on, but is it really gone or just masked over like a band-aid over a larger problem? The easiest answer is: yes. Pain will typically dissipate as your body adapts and as stress and inflammation from outside stressors decrease. However, this can make other problems worse, and they will typically arise once again when the body is returned to a stressful environment.
Pain is positive; it means that all the routes from your brain to your feet are working properly as an alert and a healing system. So when your heel starts to hurt as you stand up and then goes to your toes, we know that something in the chain from your head to your toes is incorrect and needs to be rebalanced. Problems from ignoring Plantar Fasciitis foot pain can lead to other issues such as:
Chronic heel pain
Decrease in normal activities leading to an unhealthy sedentary lifestyle
Compensation with the other foot and one or both knees, hips, and the low back
Change of gait
Arthritis
Fastest ways to find relief from Plantar Fasciitis
When working with decreasing inflammation in an area of the body, we first look at the acronym PRICE as the easiest way to reduce pain and increase function. This means Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate. However, there are many other conservative methods to increase the healing process.
Assisting the healing process will not only make sure that the entire problem is being addressed but that your body is also prepared for the next state of stress and pressure from external sources. Other options include:
Chiropractic Care: research says fair evidence of pain reduction with manipulative therapy with Plantar Fasciitis. Chiropractors carefully examine the body for imbalances and adjust the necessary areas. This helps with problematic gaits, compensation patterns and allows for an increase in physical activity.
Intrinsic foot exercises: the intrinsic muscles in your feet are essential for supporting the three arches that make up the foot. Research indicates that toe raises, toe fanning, and medial arch exercises are extremely important to make our feet as strong as possible to prevent injuries to the anatomy.
IASTM: Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization is another great method to help release the tension in the irritated plantar fascia. Trained practitioners can use tools to break up any micro adhesions that prevent healing. Research shows that IASTM has had the greatest overall results across multiple modalities.
Gastroc-soleus muscle complex stretches: lengthening tight calf muscles by stretching have significant positive results with plantar fasciitis. Stretching has been shown to “decrease cyclical, repetitive plantar fascia loading.”
Next Steps:
It is time to get moving with exercise and stretching. Plantar Fascia is a common injury to the foot and can be repaired. Our practice has helped hundreds of people find relief from plantar fasciitis. Call us at Cumberland Chiropractic and Sports Medicine in Lebanon, TN today to schedule an evaluation.
Scientific Sources:
1. Plantar Fasciitis. Mayo Clinic. 2021 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-fasciitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354846