Plantar Fasciitis is generally known as pain at the bottom of the heel and can be caused by a number of factors such as speed workouts (running), walking up hills, sleeping with toes pointed away from you, over-pronation or supination, walking in hard-bottom shoes or high heels, improper shoe fit (narrow tight shoes), coming up onto toes when running, dropping the heel on the bike during the pedalstroke. It is often believed that the root of this problem is not at the bottom of the foot, but rather in the lower leg, This is why... The Tibialis Posterior is a muscle located just underneath the Soleus and Gastrocnemius and connects from the arch of the foot all the way to the back of the knee. Logic tells us to treat the muscles that are pulling on or from the insertion point rather than treating the bottom of the foot alone. By force-feeding blood and oxygen into this area of the leg, we are creating elasticity in the muscle that is needed to relieve the pulling at the insertion points. You will find that the calf region is very sensitive and it can be the real source of your foot and heel pain problem. It is best to do these stretches before and after activity and within an hour and before going to bed. Each manipulation should last about 5 minutes. It is imperative that you breathe deeply during these exercises and keep your foot relaxed. The movement is extremely slow and specific to the area above the achilles tendon. An orthotic is then prescribed. Additionally, a surgical procedure to treat plantar fasciitis can cause disability, but in very rare cases only. Approximately half of those who suffer from plantar fasciitis also have a heel spur. In addition, an estimated ten percent of adults in the country have a heel spur without pain or other foot problems. Some complications may arise from the plantar fasciitis treatment received.
Ice Therapy
Ice can help with reducing the heel inflammation. When it is necessary, place ice on the foot for a maximum of 10 minutes. Any longer and a loss of elasticity can set in. Stretching exercises are also useful but one should be careful. If you stretch without having any elasticity in the ligament, it can cause damage, adhesions and scar tissue within the muscles. If both stretching and icing are done at the same time you can lose elasticity in the muscles rapidly. Therefore please be very careful if choosing this method and consult a physical therapist or podiatrist. In very rare cases the heel spur forms a bony growth, which you can feel under the skin and creates some local pressure. Still, the actual pain once associated with this growth is explained in reality by inflammation of the fascia that in turn has caused its formation. When the inflammation is healed, the heel spur remains, but will cause no pain. Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition of the foot. It is defined as inflammation of the plantar fascia, the fibrous covering of the tendon that forms the arch of the foot (from Latin: fascia = band). The role of the plantar fascia is to support and protect the tendon of the foot. In many patients, this heel problem is the second leading cause of foot pain. Very active athletes are most often affected because they place a lot of load and pressure on their feet, especically when landing on the heel bone. People who once suffered this condition will find it can recurr after a number of months or years. Hence, prevention of heel pain is crucial. When plantar fasciitis is chronic, a heel spur can occur. It is a small bony prominence that forms where the plantar fascia joins the heel bone (calcaneus). It is also called calcaneal exostosis or spur. For example, injections of cortisone may cause a rupture of the plantar fascia. The arch of the foot collapses. The pain is most felt in the same place and with equal intensity.