Banishing Foot Pain Once And For All

One of the most common and most debilitating conditions of the feet that people suffer from is plantar fascittis. Don’t let the name confuse you, it doesn’t have anything to do with a guy in a straw hat digging holes in your feet and waiting for his carrots to grow. Let’s break down this confusing name. Plantar refers to the bottom of the foot, ‘fasci’ is the tissue that runs the entire length of the bottom of the foot from the heel to the toes, and ‘ittis’ means inflammation. Plantar Fasciitis is exactly what the name says it is, irritation of the tissue on the bottom of the foot, usually at the heel.

But what causes this painful irritation? The causes can be many. Everything from a dramatic change in activities, a complete lack of arch support over a long period of time, a lack of flexibility in the muscles in the calf (stretching really is important!), obesity, injury to another part of the body that causes your walking style to change, wearing shoes with bad support or no cushioning on hard surfaces or just spending too much time on your feet. It’s no wonder that even with expensive, supportive shoes, Plantar Fasciitis is the number one ailment among restaurant workers.

Diagnosing Plantar Fasciitis isn’t difficult. The ailment is so common, it’s often something your doctor, even your general practitioner can spot without too much trouble. Your doctor will ask you about any recent activities you’ve had that involve extreme stress on your feet, like sports. Once you describe your symptoms to the doctor and your medical history, a diagnosis should be easy but if the doctor is still unsure, he can use x-rays to help.

Treating Plantar Fasciitis runs the gamut from common sense solutions to surgery. Most doctors will recommend a seven to eight week treatment program that usually includes things like stretching exercises to help the affected calf muscles and to help stretch fascia tissue on the bottom of the foot. Massaging the bottom of the foot with ice to help with pain, a change to low-impact workouts like swimming or biking instead of high-impact workouts like basketball or jogging.  REALLY good shoes with proper heal and arch supports, taping the bottom of the foot, the use of over-the-counter painkillers like Advil, Tylenol or Aleve, physical therapy, sometimes involving electric stimulation to the bottom of the foot and extensive massage therapy, as well.

Failing that, a doctor might recommend you wear what is called a night splint for a time. The splint immobilizes the foot in a slightly bent position while you sleep to keep the fascia stretched. Another popular treatment is cortisone injections into the foot to kill the pain and even put a cast on your foot from one to three months. The last case scenario is surgery, but since studies have shown that it’s not always successful, doctors are usually not quick to recommend it.

In conclusion, Plantar Fasciitis can be a nasty situation so the best advice you can follow is to take it easy when your feet tell you they are tired, wear a good pair of shoes and watch your weight.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 24th, 2006 at 3:36 pm and is filed under Foot Pain. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.