Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis is a condition which causes intense pain at the bottom of the feet as the result of the plantar facia becoming inflamed.

Cause of Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is caused by the plantar fascia becoming inflamed. The plantar facia is a connective tissue which supports the arch of the foot. Changes in walking activity and biomechanics can suddenly place the plantar facia under greater loads than it is able to tolerate causing inflammation. The inflammation of the plantar facia is known as plantar fasciitis.

Symptoms

Pain worse in the morning after sleeping (first few steps of the day, then suddenly becomes easier).
Difficulty placing feet on the floor
Stiffness and tightness on the underside of the feet
Unable to stand or walk for long periods of time
Difficulty raising toes off the floor
Tightness in sole of feet, achilles tendon and calves

Risk factors

Wearing high heals
Running on hard surfaces (indoor football)
Tightness uff the plantar facia, achilles tendon or calves
Lack of stretching
Sudden increase in sporting activities
High arches
Wearing incorrect footwear

Treatment

Plantar fasciitis is a condition that can take up to 6 months and more to resolve. It is a condition that people ignore and gets worse over time when the underlying factors are not corrected.

Physiotherapy-Physiofriend helps people with Plantar fasciitis manage and resolve their pain. At Physiofriend we can assess a person biomechanics and through a range of manual therapy techniques such as massage, biomechanics correction we can alleviate and prevent the reoccurrence of the plantar facia becoming inflamed.

Ice- Ice is useful for reducing the amount of pain and inflammation that occurs in the plantar facia. When icing it is important not to place ice directly on the skin due to the risk of ice burns.

Massage- Massage helps to reduce the amount of tightness in the plantar facia and reduce symptoms of pain. Massage helps to break down the thicker collagen fibres that are present after inflammation. Massage can be done by a therapist or self massage with a lacrosse ball.

Stretching- Stretching similar to massage helps to reduce tightness in the plantar facia by stretching the muscle fibres. Stretching should be done regularly to gain benefits.

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis is a condition which causes intense pain at the bottom of the feet as the result of the plantar facia becoming inflamed.

Cause of Plantar Fasciitis

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Symptoms

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Pain worse in the morning after sleeping (first few steps of the day, then suddenly becomes easier).

Difficulty placing feet on the floor

Stiffness and tightness on the underside of the feet

Unable to stand or walk for long periods of time

Difficulty raising toes off the floor

Tightness in sole of feet, achilles tendon and calves

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Risk factors

​

Wearing high heals

Running on hard surfaces (indoor football)

Tightness uff the plantar facia, achilles tendon or calves

Lack of stretching

Sudden increase in sporting activities

High arches

Wearing incorrect footwear

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Treatment

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Plantar fasciitis is a condition that can take up to 6 months and more to resolve. It is a condition that people ignore and gets worse over time when the underlying factors are not corrected.

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​

Ice- Ice is useful for reducing the amount of pain and inflammation that occurs in the plantar facia. When icing it is important not to place ice directly on the skin due to the risk of ice burns.

​

Massage- Massage helps to reduce the amount of tightness in the plantar facia and reduce symptoms of pain. Massage helps to break down the thicker collagen fibres that are present after inflammation. Massage can be done by a therapist or self massage with a lacrosse ball.

​

Stretching- Stretching similar to massage helps to reduce tightness in the plantar facia by stretching the muscle fibres. Stretching should be done regularly to gain benefits.

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