About Plantar Fasciitis
The symptoms of plantar fasciitis are generally never mild. When you suffer from this condition, you’ll likely feel a sharp, stabbing pain across the bottom of your foot, which is caused by a damaged ligament. This pain can occur when you move or step down a certain way, in the morning when you wake up, or simply all the time. To treat plantar fasciitis, you need to be committed to getting better. There’s probably not going to be a quick fix, but with time, patience, and commitment, you can rid yourself of this chronic condition.
Five Tips for Treating Plantar Fasciitis
Curing plantar fasciitis is much trickier than treating it. “Cure” implies that you’ll never have to worry about the problem again. However, if you slip back into old habits and start to ignore treatments that work, the plantar fasciitis may flare up again.
It’s best to get recommendations for specific treatment options from a medical professional who is trained in sports medicine. Below are some of the more common methods used to treat plantar fasciitis in patients of all ages and levels of activity:
- Take time off: One of the most important things you can do is take some time off from the activity that may have caused the plantar fasciitis. For some people, this isn’t an option, such as if you work on your feet. In this case, give your feet as much rest as possible for at least a few weeks.
- Pay attention to surfaces: Walking or running on very hard surfaces, such as sidewalks, can exacerbate the condition. If possible, switch to softer surfaces, like trails or a running track.
- Stretch, stretch, and stretch some more: Stretching muscles in your foot, toes, and calf can help relieve pain associated with plantar fasciitis over time. In fact, not stretching properly before and after certain types of physical activities can be one of the causes of this condition. A medical professional can show you how to properly stretch and recommend the right times to do them.
- Invest in footwear: Not only is it important to replace your shoes often to ensure the soles aren’t too worn down, it’s also important to wear supportive, comfortable shoes. If standard options aren’t doing the trick, you can try special inserts called orthotics to create additional support.
- Cover your feet: Walking around barefoot, even in your home, can make the pain worse. Constant support from quality shoes and inserts can help treat plantar fasciitis.
The symptoms of plantar fasciitis are far too debilitating to live with considering how simple the treatment may be. For help with a diagnosis and choosing the right ways to treat plantar fasciitis, visit your neighborhood FastMed Urgent Care clinic. Our clinics provide sports medicine services, including treatment for chronic issues like plantar fasciitis.