plantar fascitis
Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. It involves inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes (plantar fascia). Plantar fasciitis commonly causes stabbing pain that usually occurs with your first steps in the morning. As you get up and move more, the pain normally decreases, but it might return after long periods of standing or after rising from sitting.
typically causes a stabbing pain in the bottom of your foot near the heel. The pain is usually the worst with the first few steps after awakening, although it can also be triggered by long periods of standing or rising from sitting. The pain is usually worse after exercise, not during it.Causes are
Age. Plantar fasciitis is most common between the ages of 40 and 60.
Certain types of exercise. Activities that place a lot of stress on your heel and attached tissue — such as long-distance running, ballistic jumping activities, ballet dancing and aerobic dance — can contribute to an earlier onset of plantar fasciitis.
Foot mechanics. Being flat-footed, having a high arch or even having an abnormal pattern of walking can affect the way weight is distributed when you’re standing and put added stress on the plantar fascia.
Obesity. Excess pounds put extra stress on your plantar fascia.
Occupations that keep you on your feet. Factory workers, teachers and others who spend most of their work hours walking or standing on hard surfaces can damage their plantar fascia.
Ignoring plantar fasciitis may result in chronic heel pain that hinders your regular activities. Changing the way you walk to minimize plantar fasciitis pain might lead to foot, knee, hip or back problems
It can be a nagging problem, which gets worse and more difficult to treat the longer it’s present.
first step in treatment of the condition, reduce swelling.
What shoes you wear when you’re not running also makes a difference. Arch support is key, and walking around barefoot or in flimsy shoes can delay recovery.
If pain is present for more than three weeks, see a medical professional about the problem. Treatment options such as orthotics, foot taping, cortisone injections, night splints, and anti-inflammatories decrease symptoms significantly in about 95 percent of sufferers within six weeks.
For more resistant cases, physical therapy or shock-wave therapy may be prescribed. Increasingly, platelet-rich plasma (or PRP), in which a doctor takes blood out of your arm, spins it down, takes out the platelets, and injects them into the fascia, for cases that aren’t getting better.
For some runners who continue to experience symptoms even after treatment, a medical remedy in the form of surgery is sometimes necessary.
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