The plantar fascia is a strong band of tissue that stretches from the heel to the middle foot bones. Its purpose is to support the arch of the foot, also act as a shock absorber. There are many other ligaments and tendons within the foot, some of which come together with the bones to form the foot arches. The arches allow the foot to hold the weight of the whole body – a pretty important task!
Plantar Fasciitis is the inflammation of the fascia due to chronic degeneration or possibly a particular injury. Symptoms of this condition include; an initial spreading of pain or intense pain during first steps/activity which can often feel like you are stepping on marbles, and a lessening pain with moderate activity, but worsening during the day, or after long periods of standing or walking.
Possible Causes of Plantar Fasciitis:
- Being on your feet for a long time or participating in a lot of activity on your feet (running etc)
- Exercising on a different surface to usual
- Wearing shoes with poor cushioning or poor arch support
- Being very overweight can put extra strain on the heel. It can also mean that the damaged tendon is repaired with fat cells rather than tendon cells which in turn makes it weaker.
- A tight Achilles tendon (the tendon at the bottom of the calf muscle above the heel) can affect the ability to flex the ankle and make damage to the plantar fascia more likely.
- Not having fully recovered or not having rehabilitation from a previous injury.
As you can see, it is often not completely clear cut why Plantar Fasciitis occurs, but here at Newland, we take into consideration all the above to know if we can help, and if we can, to provide the best possible care plan.
If you think you may have symptoms, speak to your chiropractor, as with most conditions, it is better to treat sooner than later.