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| Plantar Fasciitis Relief Products at FootSmart |
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While numerous factors and conditions can lead to foot pain, the most common is plantar fasciitis, or heel pain. You may also hear doctors refer to plantar fasciitis as heel spur syndrome; however, plantar fasciitis can be present with or without an actual bony spur.
Plantar fasciitis is indeed a serious condition sufferers cannot afford to ignore. Just stepping down on the foot, especially first thing in the morning, can cause immediate shooting plantar fasciitis pain. And pressing harder on a sore heel, the way some do with a foot that’s fallen asleep, only makes your plantar fasciitis pain worse. |
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| Causes of Plantar Fasciitis |
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Plantar fasciitis can flare up when the plantar fascia ligament that stretches from the heel to the ball of the foot – which also supports the arch – becomes inflamed. Calcium deposits may eventually form on the heel bone, resulting in mild to serious plantar fasciitis pain when applying pressure on the foot.
Heel spurs and plantar fasciitis typically occur in people with flat feet. As the arch starts to collapse, the band of ligament and the muscle in the bottom of the foot absorbs the impact of pressure from standing or walking. Eventually, it stretches beyond its limits, leading to possible muscle tears and bone spurs. To avoid plantar fasciitis, people with flat feet should make a special effort to wear support shoes with arch support.
Other causes of plantar fasciitis include:
- High arches that pull on the muscles.
- Tight calves muscles caused from poor or little stretching.
- Muscle tension that pulls away a piece of the bone.
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| Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis |
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Your plantar fasciitis pain is the result of foot muscles tightening up overnight. The tightened muscles accentuate the pull on the heel bone spur and ligaments, or plantar fascia, making your first steps painful. You know you have plantar fasciitis if getting out of bed in the morning and stepping down makes you want to yell out. In fact, the medical term for plantar fasciitis, “post-static dyskinesia,” means “pain after rest.”
You may also notice symptoms of plantar fasciitis when:
- Plunging into exercise without warming up first.
- Moving after any inactivity, such as sitting in a car or at a desk. The initial movement will result in sharp, shooting plantar fasciitis, giving you a sore or painful heel.
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| Relieve and Prevent Plantar Fasciitis Pain |
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Taking the pressure off the foot goes a long way in helping relieve plantar fasciitis pain.
Other plantar fasciitis treatment techniques include:
- Wearing proper footwear for both everyday and sporting activities can help relieve plantar fasciitis pain.
- Using insoles that support the arch and reduce tension on the ligament can be key to treating plantar fasciitis.
- Making use of a heel pad, heel cushion or slight heel lift to relieve pressure and reduce inflammation of the plantar at its attachment to the heel bone can help alleviate plantar fasciitis pain.
- Correcting leg length discrepancy via an adjustable heel lift like the Adjust-a-Lift, is important in treating and preventing plantar fasciitis.
- Using a heel cup to add extra shock absorption to shoes, thus reducing pressure on heels, can help with plantar fasciitis symptoms.
- Giving the afflicted area an ice massage to reduce inflammation and relieve tension can relieve plantar fasciitis.
- Stretching calf muscle to reduce tightness is key in both treating and preventing plantar fasciitis.
- Maintaining length of the tight calf muscle with the use of a night splint should be considered if you have plantar fasciitis symptoms - and arch supports alone aren't helping.
In severe and chronic cases, heel spurs may require surgical correction. If plantar fasciitis pain is chronic and persists, see a podiatrist for specific plantar fasciitis treatment options.
Information on foot, leg and lower body health conditions provided by The Podiatry Institute, dedicated to advancing the standard of care in podiatric medicine and its effects on muscoskeletal health. |
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