What Can I Do for My Plantar Fasciitis Pain Relief?
What Is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of pain in the heel of the foot. The plantar fascia is a sturdy band of connective tissue that stretches from heel to toe and forms the arch of your foot.
Plantar fasciitis results from overuse and too much stretching of the plantar fascia, which causes swelling. The swelling in turn causes inflammation and pain when you walk. Plantar fasciitis can also be caused when the tissue that makes up the plantar fascia tears. The condition typically affects runners and people who have flat feet, high arches, are overweight, or are on their feet a lot.
The sharp pain of plantar fasciitis is particularly noticeable when you first start to walk in the morning. The pain may ease as you walk around, but anytime you've been off your feet for a while, the stabbing pain can return.
Difference between a heel spur and plantar fasciitis
Many people have spurs, an extra growth of bone. They most typically occur at joints where bones meet. For most people, heel spurs don't cause pain. Because they are made of bone, heel spurs can be readily seen on X-rays. X-rays can help rule out a spur as the cause of your heel pain. Your doctor will ususally try to reproduce the pain you feel with plantar fasciitis to make a diagnosis.
Plantar Fasciitis Treatment at Home
Plantar fasciitis is typically easy to manage with home treatment and over-the-counter medicines. Your doctor may recommend physical therapy or, rarely, surgery.
Most of the time, one or more of the remedies listed below can relieve your symptoms of plantar fasciitis. It may take 6-12 months for your foot to get back to normal, but doing these things at home can help ease the pain and help your foot heal faster:
Rest
It's important to avoid putting weight on your foot until the inflammation goes down.
Ice
This is an easy way to treat inflammation, and there are a few ways you can use it. To make an ice pack, wrap a towel around a plastic bag filled with crushed ice or around a package of frozen corn or peas. Put it on your heel three to four times a day for 15-20 minutes at a time. Or you can fill a shallow pan with water and ice and soak your heel in it for 10-15 minutes a few times a day. Be sure to keep your toes out of the water.