Plantar fasciitis is a relatively well known cause of foot pain. “Fasciitis” can be a bit of a mouthful, but is pronounced “fash-ee-itis”, referring to inflammation of the fascia. Fascia is a layer of tissue between skin and muscle.
Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis
Pain may be focused around the heel or the arches of the foot. It may move around or stay in exactly the same spot until it resolves. Because it is inflammatory, it is made worse by rest. This manifests as worse pain in the morning (it may be hard to put your foot to the floor), and after exercise. Exercise itself may provide some temporary relief if the activity is not too intense.
You may find that your pain is worse wearing certain shoes. Shoes that are too tight or narrow, or heels that put extra stretch through the sole of the foot can aggravate things. Well cushioned, secure shoes are usually the best.
Risk Factors
A sudden increase in exercise can cause plantar fasciitis (PF), especially if this involves a lot of stretch through the sole of the foot or impact on a hard surface. It is also more common in people who are over 40, and those who are overweight.
This is not to say that all exercise is bad for PF: swimming is a great example of non-loading exercise that can keep you active without irritating the foot.
Recent changes to the way you walk can also overload the soft tissues in question. If your symptoms follow an operation or other injury, we can help to fix the adaptations the body makes.
Other Causes of Foot Pain
Not all pain in the sole of the foot is caused by this. If you pain extends up beyond the heel, it may be sciatica. This is more likely if the pain is shooting or tooth-achey.
Nervey pain that extends down towards the toes could be a similar trapped nerve. Often this is a smaller nerve trapped somewhere in the foot, whereas the sciatic nerve is often irritated in the back or buttock. Pins and needles, numbness, and weakness can also point to this.
It can be surprisingly easy to break bones in the foot. If the onset of your pain was traumatic, and if there was swelling or bruising at onset (which may have since resolved), we may need to consider a fracture.
Managing Plantar Fasciitis
PF can be a tricky condition to get on top of, although some cases resolve within a few weeks. A holistic strategy will likely involve treatment to the calf as well as the sole of the foot itself. It may also transpire that limited movement in the ankle or foot are playing a role. Improving movement throughout the area aims to reduce strain on the soft tissues.
Advice is also important. Your osteopath will consider your specific case when they give you advice about using a cool compress to reduce inflammation, as well as exercises that might help you. Sometimes medications can be really useful, in which case we will ask you to speak to your pharmacist.
