Plantar Fasciitis: how to “Heel” your sole

Plantar Fasciitis

What is plantar fasciitis? Simply put, it’s the inflammation of the plantar fascia (tissue at the bottom of your foot), that is used during everyday foot movements such as walking or running. 

How do you know you have it? Usually it is worse in the morning and gets better throughout the day as the plantar fascia warms up. Symptoms usually include heel pain and can be caused by a number of factors including overuse, improper foot mechanics, types of shoes or types of walking surfaces.

One of the best treatments for plantar fasciitis is stretching! Focus on stretching your Achilles tendon and plantar fascia. Strengthen your ankle and increase ankle mobility/range of motion. A good tip I give my patients is to freeze a bottle of water and use it to “foam roll” under your foot. Ice can help decrease inflammation and the rolling motion helps to break down adhesions in the plantar fascia. 

Sometimes those adhesions are stubborn. Chiropractors can help further assist in breaking them down using myofascial techniques such as Graston (IASTM).

There’s no reason to let foot pain stop you from doing the things you love!