Causes and Solutions for Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Pain
Plantar fasciitis can cause debilitating foot and heel pain. Lying in bed in the morning you might feel like today is going to be different, that your foot and heel pain might have fixed itself overnight. But that first excruciatingly painful step out of bed lets you know that was all a dream.
Plantar fasciitis can be really stubborn and many times people will suffer with this pain for months or years. People will try icing it, different shoes, resting it, orthotics, visits to podiatrists, MDs, chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, and many times still have their plantar fascia pain. They wonder what can I possibly do to fix it forever? It can be VERY frustrating!
In this video I share a story of a masters level competitive tennis player who came to see me to help fix his chronic plantar fasciitis pain in both feet. He had been struggling with this foot pain and heel pain for 6+ months and had “tried everything.” And yet he was still in daily pain and not able to play tennis. He was frustrated, sad, and getting depressed about his feet.
I was able to show him that there can be many causes of plantar fasciitis and without looking at and assessing each, you can miss critical imbalances that can derail your improvement. Without knowing what to fix, we end up “trying everything.” That is why education and assessment of the actual cause of plantar fasciitis is so critical.
We discuss things like toe flexor strength and its connection to increased loads on the plantar fascia. Also, proper eccentric control of calf muscles which help a jumping athlete, like a tennis player (especially doubles at the net), to land softer thereby reducing the strain on the plantar fascia. We also discuss orthotics and proper shoe fit. And foot joint fixations (25% of the bones of the body are found in the feet). Also, natural anti-inflammatories to reduce the inflammatory load on the body. And cold laser therapy to reduce inflammation. And Graston technique which can help to break down myofascial adhesions that form in the plantar fascia.
“Itis” = inflammation. Plantar fasci”itis” is Inflammation of the Plantar Fascia. This video helps you understand hidden things that can be causing inflammation in your plantar fascia and what you can do to fix it forever, so you can get back to doing the sports and activities that you love!