All about Plantar Fasciitis

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the thick tissue on the bottom of your foot. Plantar fascia is the thick band of tissue that covers the bones on the bottom of your foot. Plantar fasciitis is seen both in men and women however, it is seen mostly in active men of age between 40 to70 compared to others.

How does it occur?

It occurs when the plantar fascia is overstretched or overused.

Who is at risk of getting plantar fasciitis?

If you have arch problems, both flat feet and high arches. If you are long distance runner, especially, running through uneven surfaces. Also, sudden weight or obesity contributes to plantar fasciitis. In addition, tight Achilles tendon and wearing a shoe with a poor arch support may also increase the incidence of getting plantar fasciitis.

What are the symptoms?

You may feel pain and stiffness in the bottom of the heel. You may feel the pain, when you take first few steps in the morning. Pain can be felt while climbing stairs or quickly after doing an intense activity. You may also feel pain with standing or sitting continuously, for a short period of time.

Does Physical Therapy play a vital role?

In a recent article published in the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy by Cleland etai, indicated that manual therapy along with exercises proved to be more effective compared to that of traditional ones. Manual therapy includes deep soft tissue mobilization to the plantar fascia as well as joint mobilization and manipulation to the foot, ankle, knee and hip. Other therapies such as cold therapy and taping also help to decrease pain. As soon as the pain and swelling declines, physical therapist starts you on stretching exercises. Stretching exercises such as Gastro stretch, soleus stretch and intrinsic stretch will help you to attain flexibility of the muscles of the foot. Once flexibility is attained a physical therapist will prescribe you strengthening exercises. This will help you to prevent reoccurrence of the condition. An experienced physical therapist can guide you through proper rehabilitation using modalities such as ice pack, hot pack, electrical stimulation, ultrasound,phonophoresis,iontophoresis, and manual therapy, therapeutic exercises and proper home exercise program (HEP)

References
Plantar fasciitis. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2013, from PubMed Health: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004438/ Plantar Fasciitis. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2013, from Nicholas Institue of Sports Medicine and Atletic trauma: http://www.nismat.org/patients/injury-evaluation-treatment/lower-body/plantar-fasciitis

Study Shows Plantar Fasciitis Sufferers Improve More With Manual Physical Therapy. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2013, from Results Physiotherapy: http://www.resultsphysiotherapy.com/study-shows-plantarfasciitis-sufferers-improve-more-with-manual-physical-therapy/