• Conditions Treated
• Elbow Conditions
  • Golfer’s Elbow
  • Little Leaguer’s Elbow
  • Tennis Elbow
• Foot and Ankle Dysfunctions
  • Ankle Fracture
  • Ankle Sprain
  • Calf Strain
  • Plantar Fasciitis
  • Shin Splint
• Hand Injuries
  • Boutonniere Deformity
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
  • DeQuervain's Tenosynovitis
  • Wrist Fracture
• Hip and Thigh Conditions
  • Hamstring Strain
  • Hip Replacement
• Knee Pain
  • ACL Injuries
  • ITB Syndrome
  • Knee Replacement
  • Patella Tendinitis
• Shoulder Injuries
  • Dislocated Shoulder
  • Frozen Shoulder
  • Rotator Cuff Tear
  • Shoulder Tendinitis
• Spinal Conditions
  • Back Pain
    • Preventing Back Pain
  • Cervical Strain
  • Headache
  • Herniated Disk
  • Neck Pain
    • Preventing Neck Pain
  • Sciatica
  • Spinal Stenosis
  • Spondylolisthesis
• Other Conditions
  • Arthritis
  • Chronic Pelvic Pain
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Lymphedema
  • Osteoporosis
  • TMJ Dysfunction
  • Urinary Incontinence

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is an irritation of the plantar fascia—a thick band of tissue that starts at your heel bone, runs along the sole of your foot, and then fans out to the base of your toes that supports the inner arch of your foot. Plantar fasciitis is most often the result of mechanical overload and excessive strain that repetitively impacts the plantar fascia, causing tears within the tissue, inflammation, and/or degenerative tissue changes.

Symptoms

Plantar fasciitis is characterized by an insidious, gradual onset of pain in the heel. In the acute phases, the pain is worse in the morning or after periods of bearing no weight. Pain diminishes with activity. Some people experience aching after long periods of activity. As the condition becomes more severe, the symptoms may increase and be present when bearing weight, and the pain may worsen with activity.

Risk factors

Factors that may predispose you to plantar fasciitis include:

• Obesity
• Walking barefoot, or wearing shoes that are improperly fitted and lack well-supported arches and midsoles
• Limited ankle dorsiflexion (flexing your foot so that your toes move toward your shin)
• Tight Achilles' tendon
• A pes planus (low arch) or pes cavus (high arch) foot type
• Weak plantar flexor muscles (the muscles that work to point your foot) or weak intrinsic foot muscles (the muscles within the foot that work to move the toes and support the arches)

SSPT’s approach to treating plantar fasciitis

Treatment takes into account how the mechanics above and below the area of plantar fasciitis pain may influence or contribute to the pain, and may include:

• Exercises that increase the strength and flexibility of the foot and ankle muscles
• Modalities such as ultrasound or iontophoresis to help decrease inflammation and pain
• Night splints to help gently stretch the Achilles' tendon
• Custom foot orthotics
• Joint mobilization and soft tissue release
• Education about proper stretching techniques and activities to avoid
• Video gait analysis

To learn more about plantar fasciitis, read our articles: Foot Pain: Plantar Fasciitis, or Something Else? and What Flip-Flop Wearers Need to Know about Plantar Fasciitis.