What is Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis (pronounced plarn-tar-fash-ee-eye-tis) is the most common cause of heel pain. Your plantar fascia is a flat band of tissue that starts at the base of the heel bone (calcaneus) and attaches to the metatarsal bones in the ball of your foot. It acts like a bowstring or elastic band helping to support the arch of your foot.

Plantar Fasciitis Symptoms

When injured, the typical plantar fasciitis symptoms are intermittent sharp shooting pain or aching in the region of your heel. The most severe symptoms commonly occur upon standing after a period of rest. Don’t be fooled by intermittent pain, however, and the fact that things often feel better once you get going – the longer it takes to address heel pain, the longer the expected recovery time may be.

What Causes Plantar Fasciitis?

Weight, footwear, training error, direct injury and biomechanical factors can all influence why you may develop plantar fascia pain. Women are also more susceptible, particularly at times of hormonal changes such as during pregnancy or menopause.

Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

Treatment really depends on your unique case – where the heel pain is occurring, what movements or activities you’re having difficulty with, and how long you have been experiencing symptoms. Often the treatment plan is multifactorial and a thorough review is required to determine the best pathway for you. This can include exercises, medical orthoses (inserts/insoles), footwear advice and a review of training loads or work requirements. It is always better to seek plantar fasciitis treatment sooner rather than later so you can get on top of symptoms and support your recovery.

Plantar Fasciitis Treatment from Our Christchurch Podiatrists

The Podiatry team at Active Health is experienced in managing plantar fasciitis and heel pain, and we’re here to help. Podiatrists are skilled in assessing and evaluating foot, leg and lower limb pain.