Plantar fasciitis occurs with many people and is a common symptom which causes foot pain. Plantar means the bottom of the foot and the fascia is connected tissue on the bottom of the foot. Fasciitis is then inflammation (itis) of the fascia. The bottom of the foot has what is called the plantar vault that forms a triangle. This is made up of three main arches in the foot; transverse arch, medial arch, and a lateral arch. The transverse arch makes up the point or top of the triangle. The medial arch is the one we all think about and is in the inside of the foot with the lateral arch being on the outside of the foot. These arches are greatly benefited by an orthotic which helps take the stress off the fascia. We use Foot Levelers Orthotics due to the fact they support all three arches and custom make their orthotics.
When your arches start to collapse this puts a strain in the fascia. This collapsing can be caused by long-standing structural distortion, repetitive trauma (running, jumping, etc), lack of flexibility in the ankle, or tightness in the calf muscle. Some patients have pain upon arising in the morning or after periods of inactivity. This usually indicates a calf muscle overload and shortness. Some patients have a lack of normal flexibility of the ankle due to the stiffness in their ankle joint. Goals of our treatment are to reduce the toxicity and restriction of the muscles and to improve ankle joint mobility. Frequently we will us Myofascial/Lymphatic work to speed the recovery process which has been very effective for us. Some patients have more pain as the day progresses and with increased activity levels. These patients usually require an arch support and therapy to reduce the irritation in the plantar fascia. Our thorough examination determines which course of action is going to be best for each patient to maximize our results.
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