Plantar Fasciitis is a painful inflammatory condition of the foot.
What is the plantar fascia?
The plantar fascia is a connective tissue band (large flat ligament) that attaches to the bottom of the heel and extends forward towards the toes. It is an anchor point for the muscles of the bottom of the feet. Stability and balance of the foot and ankle depend on the plantar fascia to be strong, yet flexible and acts as a counterbalance to the strong suckles of the calf that attach to the heel with the Achilles tendon.
Causes of plantar fasciitis:
The plantar fascia becomes inflamed and makes walking painful when the tissue becomes injured from strain or direct trauma such as landing on the feet from height. Besides trauma, plantar fascial problems may arise simply from the calf muscle being too tight. Because the muscles of the calf are so strong, if they become overly tight they pull up on the heel, which in turn tugs on the plantar fascia and causes strain.
Symptoms of plantar fasciitis are:
Heel pain on walking, particularly when first rising from bed or after sitting for long periods
> Burning, aching on bottom of the foot
> Painful sensation like a pebble in your shoe under the ball of the second toe
Plantar fasciitis treatment:
Treatment of plantar foot pain involves relieving inflammation, stretching the plantar ligament, and loosening of the calf muscle. This is a process that could take from a few visits to a few months depending on how long the condition has existed and the severity of the inflammation.
Therapy modalities may include:
> Heat packs
> Electrical stimulation
> Cold laser therapy
> Ice packs
> Stretching exercises
> Foot and ankle joint manipulation
For more information about plantar foot pain relief in Orange County, contact:
Dr Barry Marks, Chiropractor
1745 W Orangewood Ave #114
Orange, CA 92868
(714) 938-0575
Dr Marks is very experienced in diagnosing and fixing plantar fasciitis and many other painful conditions quickly and affordably in his Orange, California chiropractic office.
