Plantar Fasciitis - What is it?:

Plantar fasciitis (commonly misspelled fascitis) is a medical condition I had not heard of until about 3 years ago. My father (40 years my senior) and almost 78 years old developed this condition and eventually went to see an orthopaedic about his feet. Plantar fasciitis is a condition in your foot that can cause severe pain if gone untreated. The plantar fascia is the tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes. One of the worst times of the day for people who suffer from plantar fasciitis are the early morning hours when you first get out of bed. The fascia has a tendency to "tighten up" overnight and when you first get out of bed it can be difficult to walk or even stand because of the pain in your heels. Doctors recommend some foot stretching and stationary bike exercises for those afflicted with early morning symptoms. The pain will subside a bit once the blood flow and circulation resume to normal levels in your foot.

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I was recently diagnosed with the same condition my father has and I'm not even 40 years old yet. I couldn't believe I had plantar fasciitis and I was concerned I may have a life of pain in my heels. I first noticed mine late at night when I would wake up to help my wife take care of our baby. The baby would cry in the night and I would naturally jump out of bed and walk fast to the child's crib. The first few times I attempted to get out of bed at night and the early morning hours I thought my feet were asleep and that it was a something that would go away. Then the pain was excruciating enough that I practically fell right over when I got out of bed. My heels felt like nail or needles were in them and being moved back and forth. The symptoms usually went away throughout the day so I would get on with my life. Then the symptoms started staying longer and longer and my feet hurt even in the midday hours with shoes on. After my doctor diagnosed the condition, I was told to replace my shoes with brand news ones every 3 to 4 months at first and try using the gel pads that go into the shoes to help alleve the symptoms even more. To have developed the condition at such a young age I most certainly will have to watch it for the rest of my life. There are treatment methods for plantar fasciitis that will hopefully keep me out of the operating room and living a comfortable life moving forward. The exact causes of plantar fasciitis are not completely known, but doctors say patients with this condition tend to suffer from physical activity overload, arthritis, diabetes, have bad foot mechanics, or have worn shoes with little or no support for their arch or heels. I was an avid tennis player for years on the hardcourts of California and ran often at the gym. I also rarely bought new tennis or running shoes making the condition more likely to creep up on me. I didn't know that I was doing damage decades ago to my feet and now I am definitely paying for it. If you have symptoms of foot/heel pain, get to a doctor ASAP to get your condition diagnosed. I probably waited about 6 months too long to get it diagnosed, but I am most likely going to be able to overcome this problem with the propery treatment and maintenance of my heels.

Plantar Fasciitis Treatment:

Treatment of plantar fasciitis ranges from basic prevention methods all the way to surgery if the symptoms are already far beyond proper healing. The good news is that most people will see major improvements within a year with the simplest of treatments. Firstly, get a new pair of shoes and purchase the gel heel supports for an extra $10 to give your shoes a little more life. Sometimes doctors will recommend wearing night splints which help keep your plantar fascia and the achilles tendon in a lengthened position during the nighttime hours so they are able to be stretched more easily first thing in the morning. Some forms of physical therapy can also be very helpful in keeping the plantar fasciitis in check. Stretching exercises or even lower leg muscle building can alleviate the symptoms that cause the pain. I still play tennis and my orthopaedists has told me to do certain stretches before I play and at times I should put athletic tap around my foot to help support the bottom of my feet during physical activities. I have found that the new shoes every 4 months makes a huge difference. Supposedly most shoes lose their support after about 4-6 months of wear and after that you are only doing harm to your feet. I now make it a point to buy new tennis or walking shoes often enough to keep my feet in good working condition. The whole goal is to get your plantar fascia back into shape with the proper car and then the treatments can be less often. When the basic treatments don't provide enough pain relief there are corticosteroids injections (1 to 2 injections maximum) that can help. Of course surgery is a last resort when all else fails, and from what we researched, it's a very small % of people who require it.

Plantar Fasciitis Exercise:

A physical therapists is probably your best source in finding out which exercises are best for you in helping to reduce the symptoms of your plantar fasciitis. If you go to a gym, you can even ask a trainer there to set you up with some basic plantar fasciitis exercises. We could describe the various exercises on this page, but truthfully you need to have an expert in this field show you how to do them in person. There are websites that have detailed write-ups on how to exercise your plantar fasciitis such as HERE or HERE. Read about stretching your achilles tendon, plantar fascia, hamstrings, and how to strength train your lower leg muscles.

Best Plantar Fasciitis Shoes:

When I was first diagnosed with plantar fasciitis one of my first questions to my doctor was "which shoes are best for me to be wearing?". His reply was pretty much any shoe that isn't too old. Also, for women, stay away from stilettos or even shoes with low heels. You should be looking for shoes with a low to moderate heel, good shock aborbency, and sufficient arch support. Even walking on hard surfaces with barefeet can cause issues, so try wearing shoes on hardwood floors or outdoors on your patio if you have to. I try to wear my running shoes as often as possible since they offer the best support for my feet when I'm out of the house. I will also wear a good pair of walking shoes around my house since I have hardwood floors throughout. The key is to stay ahead of the symptoms and use preventive measures like new shoes to keep the pain away. I usually mark on my calendar the day I get new shoes so that I can look back and make sure I purchase a new pair 4 months later. I am about 8 months into my prevention and treatment stages and the results are good so far. I periodically have pain after playing tennis or running on a treadmill, but it's nothing compared to what it was 8 months ago. I still experience some pain when I get out of bed, but it subsides within a few minutes. I'm hoping that within the next 4 months I will be virtually pain free and not having to purchase new shoes so often.

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