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Plantar fasciitis is among the most common causes of heel pain, and it’s the kind of pain that can prevent you from enjoying your daily routines. Relief is available from the highly skilled podiatrists at Advanced Foot and Ankle Specialists, with offices in Elgin, Schaumburg, Huntley, and the Montclare neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. If plantar fasciitis is affecting your quality of life, book your visit online or over the phone today.
A thick band of connective tissue runs across the bottom of your feet, connecting your toes to your heel bone. Called the plantar fascia, this tissue is incredibly tough and strong but doesn’t stretch easily. It supports the arch of your foot and absorbs shock while you walk or run.
Plantar fasciitis develops when your plantar fascia becomes inflamed. Like most connective tissues, your plantar fascia has a limited blood supply and can’t heal easily when damaged.
Stress or tension on this band of tissue can create small tears or force it to stretch. Over time, those small injuries can cause inflammation of the plantar fascia and significant pain.
People who are over 40, are overweight, spend a lot of time on their feet, or have high arches or flat feet have an elevated risk of plantar fasciitis. That said, anyone can develop the condition.
Unlike many foot health issues, the signs and symptoms of plantar fasciitis are relatively straightforward. Pain on the bottom of your foot is the primary symptom. This discomfort is usually most obvious when you first get out of bed.
The pain brought on by plantar fasciitis is often described as stabbing pain. It usually gets better if you move around but can flare up again when you stand up after a long period of sitting.
During your diagnostic evaluation, your podiatrist asks you to describe your foot pain and when it’s most severe.
Radiography is often used to learn more about your foot, including helping your provider search for bone spurs, cysts, or fractures, which can cause foot pain. Doppler ultrasound imaging can also be a helpful diagnostic tool.
There are numerous ways to treat plantar fasciitis. If your foot pain isn’t severe, you might begin by altering your routines to avoid placing undue stress and strain on the bottom of your feet.
Icing the area can help, and wearing orthotics can change weight distribution across the bottom of your feet.
Wearing a special boot called a night splint can help by gently stretching your calf and foot while you sleep. Many people find relief from minor discomfort with over-the-counter pain medicine.
If conservative treatments don’t yield the desired results, your practitioner might recommend corticosteroid injections to reduce pain and control inflammation. Ultrasonic tissue repair can help by breaking apart and removing damaged plantar fascia tissue.
In rare cases, surgery can reduce pain by altering how your plantar fascia connects to your heel bone.
A diagnostic exam is the best way to know if your foot and heel pain is caused by plantar fasciitis. Call today to book a visit or use the easy online tool.