How To Speed Up Recovery From Painful Plantar Fasciitis

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If it feels like you have pebbles in your shoes when you walk, you could have plantar fasciitis. Your plantar fascia connects your heel to your toes. It runs along the bottom of your foot, so when it is inflamed and tender, walking is painful. It often feels like you're walking on sharp rocks. You can have plantar fasciitis in one foot or both of them at once. This condition often takes a long time to heal, and that makes it difficult to go about your daily activities. Here are some things you can do to help relieve the pain and help your feet recover faster.

Wear Splints At Night

Plantar fasciitis pain is usually worse when you first get up in the morning. Once your feet limber up and as long as you keep moving during the day, the pain should decrease. If you sit or stand in one position for a long time, the pain returns. Being in bed for several hours without stretching your feet can lead to intense pain that makes it difficult to walk when you first get out of bed. One solution for this is to wear splints at night that keep your fascia and tendons in a stretched position. A foot and ankle specialist, or podiatrist, can provide you with the splints and show you how to use them correctly.

Do Stretching Exercises

Your podiatrist may refer you to a physical therapist for treatment. The therapist teaches you stretching exercises that help relieve and prevent pain. The exercises also strengthen your leg and calf muscles so your foot is more stable. You may need to attend regular sessions with the therapist, or you may be taught the exercises so you can do them daily at home. Stretching and exercising your feet while you're seated for long periods may prevent the return of heel pain when you get back up and start walking again.

Stabilize Your Feet

Plantar fasciitis has several causes. It could be due to strain from excessive running or an improper gait. It could also be due to wearing shoes that do not offer enough support for your feet. Being overweight could also trigger this condition. One remedy for these situations is to offer better stabilization and support for your feet. You can do this by wearing support shoes that hold your feet in alignment. You may need sturdy orthopedic shoes, or your podiatrist may give you shoe inserts to wear in your regular shoes. You should avoid wearing flat sandals and instead wear shoes that have good arch and heel support. In addition, your podiatrist may show you how to tape your feet to improve ankle alignment and tendon support.

Keeping your feet in alignment prevents stress on your fascia that leads to tiny tears and inflammation. Proper gait and alignment is important for other areas of your body too. If the pain from plantar fasciitis causes you to favor one foot over the other or alter your gait, you could develop pain in your hip or lower back as a result.

If these corrective treatments don't help very much, you may need medical intervention from a foot and ankle specialist so you can keep working. This could include steroid shots for pain relief or even surgery. However, most cases of plantar fasciitis eventually heal as long as you stop the activity that caused it to develop in the first place. You may need to lose weight and replace your shoes every few months, so they offer optimum support for your feet.

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11 September 2015