Plantar Fasciitis
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar Fasciitis, also called joggers or policeman’s heel is a common cause of heel pain. The plantar fascia is a thick fibrous band of connective tissue, running along the bottom of the foot from the heel to the toes. The plantar Fascia acts as a passive support to the over flattening of the arch of the foot, and is also an active sensory structure providing the brain with feedback about the position of the ankle and foot. Plantar fasciitis is a chronic irritation of the plantar fascia, either through over stretching, overuse or a number of reasons.
Causes
Sports that place excessive stress on the heel and attached tissue e.g. running, ballet and aerobics. Especially if you have a tight calf muscle or a stiff ankle / big toe from a previous ankle sprain/injury. This may limit ankle movement and leave you at greater risk of developing it.
Carrying around extra weight increases the strain and stress on your plantar fascia.
Having a job that requires a lot of walking or standing on hard surfaces ie factory workers, teachers and waitresses.
Wearing shoes with poor support increases the load through the plantar fascia. Flat feet or high foot arches where changes in the arch of your foot changes the shock absorption ability and can stretch and strain the plantar fascia, which then has to absorb the additional force.
Weak intrinsic foot muscles and poor foot control: Muscle fatigue, weakness and poor control can overload your plantar fascia and cause injury.
Reduced ankle mobility and great toe mobility can increase the loading of the plantar fascia.
The presence of a calcaneal spur (heel spur) can lead to increased risk of developing plantar fasciitis.
If you are suffering from heel pain, come and see our practitioners at New Lambton Podiatry, who can provide you with a clear diagnose, determine the cause of your symptoms and create a treatment plan to not only resolve and reduce your pain and symptoms, but address the cause to prevent it from reoccurring in the future.
