Plantar Fasciitis
Mar 18, 2014
Plantar fasciitis is a common problem amongst many Albertans. Speaking from experience, it’s a nagging pain first thing in the morning that causes me to limp for the first 10 steps I take. The plantar fascia is a thick fibrous tissue that runs from your calcaneus (the heel bone) through the arch of the foot. Fasciitis is an inflammation of that tissue. It is usually brought on by a combination of factors such as an increase in walking or running, flat feet and poor footwear. Some other factors can be stiff joints in the foot/ankle, weak ankle/foot muscles, and tight calf muscles. This is where an assessment with a Physiotherapist can help to determine the cause of your plantar faciitis.
Some things you can try at home include calf stretching. Try standing on a step with the balls of your feet on the step and letting your heels hang down until you feel a stretch. This should be done with knees straight and with the knees bent. Each one should be held for about 60 seconds each and done several times a day. Another thing to try is rolling a frozen water bottle under the arch of the foot. This will help massage the plantar fascia and to decrease the inflammation with the ice. Or you can always ask your significant other to give you a foot massage… physiotherapists’ orders 
We also recommend that clients wear proper footwear such as a good supportive running shoe to help provide support for the arch. Shoes should be worn as much as possible (ie. in the house) to help give some support throughout the entire day. With my plantar fasciitis, the things I found most helpful were better footwear, custom orthotics, acupuncture and massage but those were only temporary. I later found out that my plantar fasciitis was caused by weak hips and core. So with a lot of core and hip strengthening, my felt have never felt better!
If you find that these tips are only temporarily helpful or don’t help at all, there could be something else causing your heel pain, like in my case. That’s where we can help. You can call us at any one of our clinics for an assessment with our physiotherapists to determine the cause of your plantar fasciitis and how to treat it. You can also come in for a Footmaxx assessment for custom orthotics that can be done right in the clinic. Call Dynamic Sports Physiotherapy at 780-458-8502 to make appointment for an assessment today.
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