Plantar Fasciitis

Posted by Eric Palmquist

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

heel pain grab

By far and away the most common condition that I see in my office is plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation and irritation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a ligament on the bottom of the foot which spans from the heel to the ball of the foot. I often hear about three variants from my patients.

  1. Pain in the bottom of the heel
  2. Pain in the ball of the foot
  3. Pain thru out the arch

Typically patients will complain about pain as above after rest. Often I will ask a patient if they furniture walk.  Those who do know exactly what I am talking about. Moving from one piece of furniture to another just help support themselves and take pressure off their foot.

For many patients they think this pain is a part of aging. That should not be the case. Age should not cause plantar fasciitis. Most patients put up with the pain until it either goes away or gets so bad that they can no longer perform normal daily activities.

When I see a patient for this complaint I often can make the diagnosis based on history. However there are other problems that can mimic it. They must be ruled out before a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis is given. Many times xrays or ultrasound of the affected foot is used to image the foot. In addition to gathering a history of the problem, an examination of the patient is necessary to make this diagnosis.

When it comes to treatment I typically recommend five initial steps to help:

  1. Stretching of the posterior leg muscles
  2. Supportive shoe gear
  3. Orthotics
  4. Ice and massage
  5. Oral anti-inflammatories

My goal for patients are to have 80% improvement or better in 3 weeks. If the patient does not reach that goal than a reassessment is needed. The treatment plan is altered to add additional treatments depending upon continued symptoms and presentation. My long term goals are to return the patient to his/her activities without pain. They should be able to do any and all daily activities without pain.

If you are struggling with plantar fasciitis call 402-315-4406 and schedule your appointment now. Don’t let it stop you from doing what you want to do.