What is Plantar Fasciitis?
The plantar fascia is one of the main supportive structures of your feet.
Whenever you stand or push through your feet, the plantar fascia has to support you and your whole body weight.
Plantar fasciitis occurs following an increased stress into the plantar fascia thus causing it to break down.
The best way to describe this is like a rope that is beginning to fray. Under too much tension the fibres aren't resilient enough to deal with the load and thus begin to fray.
The weakest point of the plantar fascia is at the attachment to the heel bone. This causes people experience pain under their heel.
Apart from the fraying of the fibres of the plantar fascia, two other findings may occur: the tension from the plantar fascia pulling upon the heel bone can cause a spur to grow and secondly the fraying of the fibres may eventually turn into a tear.
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Painful heel first thing in the morning?
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Hobbling after getting off the couch?
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Tired sore arches of your feet at the end of the day?
You could have plantar fasciitis!
Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis
Treating plantar fasciitis is broken up into 3 steps:
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Reducing the stress going into the plantar fascia
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Reducing the pull of the plantar fascia on the heel bone
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Speeding up the healing process of the damaged tissue
