Plantar fasciitis

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Plantar fasciitis

What is it?
Plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the connective tissue known as the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a thick band of connective tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot, from the base of the heel to the bones in the ball of the foot. In most cases, patients describe pain in their heel(s) when first standing, especially in the morning. Heel pain usually subsides after the initial 20 steps, until the patient rests and then stands again. A careful history and physical examination of the lower extremities is required to determine if a patient is suffering from plantar fasciitis.
X-rays that exhibit heel spurs are of little significance, since many people who suffer from plantar fasciitis do not exhibit heel spurs and vice versa. Heel spurs do not cause pain; their existence and size hold very little significance. The evidence of heel spurs only signifies that micro-tears of the plantar fascia have been present for many months or years, which the body repairs with the building of calcium/bone.

What are the causes?

There may be several reasons why this tissue becomes inflamed and causes you pain.
The most common cause of plantar fasciitis pain is as a result of fallen arches or pronation of the foot. Typically, people with high arches that fall are the most prone to having plantar fasciitis pain. The reason for the pain is that as the arch drops, it elongates the foot. The primary objective of the plantar fascia is to hold up the arch of the foot as it bears weight. Due to the stress of an arch falling, small microtears may occur. Most often, microtears occur at the base of the heel, but on occasion may also occur in the middle of the arch of the plantar fascia.

What is the treatment?

Fallen arches are the most common cause of plantar fasciitis pain and therefore logically, if you limit the amount that the arch is able to collapse, the less damage and pain will occur. In most cases, arches and other biomechanical factors of the lower limb can be controlled with custom orthotics.