Plantar Fasciitus Heel Pain

Heel Pain – Best Shoes For Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar-Fasciitis-doc — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 12:05:46 +0000

Let’s face it, waking up every morning with heel pain is no fun. Dreading the first few steps out of bed every morning and walking like some Scifi creature is for the birds. Chances are, if you find yourself reading this page then you are experiencing this, or have experienced it in the past. An increasing number of people suffer from heel pain and other foot problems. So the obvious question is “What can I do about heel pain?” or “What is the best shoe for plantar fasciitis?.” We will discuss these questions and hopefully answer many more in the process.

Foot pain that is centered on the heel can have many causes. One common issue is when the ‘plantar fascia’ (sounds technical doesn’t it?) becomes sensitive and sore due to inflammation and damage. This strange sounding name ‘plantar fascia’ is actually nothing more than a ligament running from the toes to the heel of the foot. We use the plantar fascia ligament with every step we take. It’s one of those parts we rely so much upon, yet never realize they exist, that is until there is a problem! When this ligament is unhappy, there is no denying it. It screams and throws a tantrum that cannot be ignored. Every step is painful, especially those first few steps in the morning or after a long period of inactivity or rest.

Enough with all this technical mumbo jumbo; how can I fix this heel pain?

While there are a variety of treatment options available, it’s best to first look at the whole picture, including your lifestyle and composition. Do you spend a lot of time on your feet? Are you a little or a lot overweight? Do you stand and walk correctly with good form and correct weight distribution? These are things we don’t often think about but will need to examine in order to resolve the pain in our heels. Standing with your weight shifted towards the outside of your feet, or inside of your feet is sure to bother the plantar ligament. Being overweight places too much stress on our feet and combined with improper standing or walking form can lead to a strained plantar fascia. The same is true for people who spend a lot of time on their feet.

You will need to address these issues and they shouldn’t be ignored, but one way to mitigate these problems is to choose quality footwear. Many shoes are quite bad in supporting our weight evenly and can lead to foot problems, while other shoes can actually help alleviate issues such as heel pain and plantar fascia inflammation. A well made and well designed pair of shoes can help immensely. Never underestimate the role your choice of footwear is playing in your present foot pain.

Are your Shoes Making Heel Pain Worse?

No two people will have the exact same feet. Some have high arches, low arches, long feet, short feet and everything in between. You will need shoes that conform to and assist your particular feet. Many times these will be high arch support shoes. You will also need to find shoes that do a good job of absorbing impact and distribute your body weight in a uniform manner. We’ve all had shoes that don’t spread the weight evenly and force it into the toe, or side of the foot. In order to give the ligament time to heal, we need to support it and take as much pressure off it as possible. The best way of doing this for active people, and/or overweight people, is to use the best plantar fasctiitus footwear available.

If you are a runner, then make sure you have good running shoes. You may also want to look into buying insoles that assist with heel pain. The same goes for hikers, or any other activity. Make sure that your footwear is designed specifically for the use. You can purchase excellent dress shoes for plantar fasciitis and the same goes for hiking shoes, walking shoes, tennis shoes, basketball shoes and even some sandals offer support and comfort for troubled heels. For many, it’s best to avoid flat flip flops or sandals that offer very little arch support. They may feel comfortable at first, but over time can lead to foot problems. Pay special attention to how well centered your weight is distributed on your shoes. If it isn’t correct, your poor plantar fascia will be over-stretched.

Seriously consider shoes made and designed specifically for plantar fasciitis and other foot problems. You may, or may not, need to get a podiatrist involved in the selection of medical shoes. These days, there are many options available. Heel problems have become common, and most people will experience them at one time or another. This has driven the production of high quality medical grade shoes that can make healing and preventing foot problems much easier. Moreover, ignoring your footwear will inevitably lead to the plantar ligament getting worse and worse. The idea is to stop doing any more damage. Only then can you make progress and eventually heal your troubled feet.

This has been a general overview of plantar fasciitis related heel pain and the importance of quality footwear. We will offer specific reviews of different products in the near future but it’s important to understand the big picture before going into specifics. To review, it’s best to examine your lifestyle, body weight, walking gait, standing posture, and weight distribution to come to terms with the root causes of heel pain. We can then find shoes that heal plantar fasciitis or at least give us a fighting chance even though we may lead busy lives and abuse our feet every day. The first step is to stop making it worse. For most people, the solution can be found with quality medical grade podiatrist approved shoes.

Plantar Fasciitis Surgery Recovery Time – What You Should Expect

Plantar-Fasciitis-doc — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:00:41 +0000

Plantar fasciitis surgery recovery time can vary depending on the age and general health and fitness level of the patient. Before you commit to plantar fasciitis surgery, make sure you fully understand all the implications, dangers, success rates, and most importantly the plantar fasciitis surgery recovery time.

Once again, I feel it is important to stress that plantar fasciitis surgery is not usually the best treatment option for the majority of people suffering from heel pain. It is important that you first try a variety of plantar fasciitis treatment options and give them the time they need to be successful before even considering plantar fasciitis surgery. Keep in mind, that a treatment or procedure that works for some, may not necessarily work for you. I also believe that the most important plantar fasciitis treatment is to isolate the causes, and address these first before seeking out expensive and invasive procedures. Buying a new pair of plantar fasciitis shoes or changing your posture and walking stride is a much better treatment than going under the surgeons knife.

Plantar Fasciitis Surgery Recovery Time

One more consideration regarding your decision about plantar fasciitis surgery is whether or not the proper preliminary steps and therapies were first applied. If you decide to see a specialist such as a podiatrist and he or she recommends surgery right off the bat, then it’s time to find another doctor. A good ethical podiatrist will often first try other plantar fasciitis treatments such as custom orthotics, maybe taping along with some type of anti-inflammatory medication. If these are not successful then cortisone injections may be given as the next step in the process. The proper time should be given for each of these plantar fasciitis treatments to work their magic. All these treatments together can easily take six to twelve months to be fully successful.

Plantar fasciitis surgery recovery time can be anywhere from a few months to over a year. Their are no guarantees and each patient responds differently to surgery. Your particular plantar fasciitis surgery recovery time is dependent largely on your age. You adults and children naturally heal much quicker. For most people, the plantar fasciitis surgery recovery time is close to one year for a full 100% recovery. We often take our feet for granted until something like plantar fasciitis pops up and we realize how important our feet really are.

The plantar fasciitis recovery process involves a series of steps and patience will be needed. There will be period of time where you will not be allowed to even get the foot wet. You will have a cast, likely whats called an ‘air cast’ on your foot for about two months. The first week of plantar fasciitis surgery recovery will confine you to your bed except for bathroom breaks. The most important factor in reducing your post plantar fasciitis surgery recovery time will be how disciplined you are about staying off your feet. None of us like to listen to our doctors, this is one time when you should really take his/her advice to heart.

Plantar Fasciitis Massage Treatment – Does it Work?

Plantar-Fasciitis-doc — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 12:42:15 +0000

Plantar fasciitis and the unmistaken early morning heel pain that accompanies it, is surely not the best way to start your day. There are a large variety of plantar fasciitis treatment options available, but some will clearly work better than others. Most patients who suffer from plantar fasciitis symptoms find a little relief as the day progresses and their muslcles and ligaments warm up and stretch out. The first steps of the day are often the most painful because our legs, calves, feet, and sinews are tight and cold. This makes one think that massage may be a good treatment for plantar fasciitis since massage can loosen up tight muscles and help our bodies relax. So the question of the day is “Does massage work for treating plantar fasciitis?”

Massage is one of those slightly ‘wild west’ types of treatments. The training, quality and experience of massage therapist can vary drastically. This is an important factor to keep in mind if you are looking to treat plantar fasciitis with massage. One massage therapist might be completely worthless in healing plantar fasciitis while another might offer an extremely effective treatment. A certified, experienced, and knowledgable massage therapist might not only relieve some of the heel pain but offer some helpful suggestions and exercises to keep you on your feet. Make sure to ask any potential massage therapist many questions regarding plantar fasciits and massage to help weed out the ones that don’t know how to help you.

Here is an oversimplified, but possibly effective example of Chinese TuiNa Massage for plantar fasciitis:

The plantar fasciitis massage treatment can be quite painful. This pain will usually not last too long so you just need to relax and breathe into it. There really is no way of avoiding this since your plantar fascia ligament is quite tender and it’s hidden deep under the surface of the skin so a fair amount of pressure is needed to stimulate it. A good session will involve all the muscles from the knees to the tips of the toes. They all work in unison to create the tightness and pressure that is causing the plantar fasciitis heel pain, so they must all be worked on.

A properly done plantar fasciitis massage treatment will relax all muscles around the plantar fascia. Massage treatment can also help to stretch the muscles, ligaments, and tendons while they are being slowly relaxed and blockages worked out. The other major advantage of a properly administered plantar fasciitis massage treatment is an increase in blood circulation. Diabetics especially have challenges getting good circulation in the feet, and this lack of blood flow can exacerbate plantar fasciitis. Massage warms the muscles and increase blood circulation that is so vital to the natural healing process.

Massage can be a great long term and short treatment for plantar fasciitis. Take the time to find a qualified massage therapist and ask questions to make sure they know how to use massage for treating plantar fasciitis. Expect a little short term pain during the sessions, the pain will soon be gone and is often replaced by lasting relief so don’t be scared. Massage treatment for plantar fasciitis has many advantages that can, if properly done, lead to relaxed muscles, tendons, ligaments and other sinews in and around your feet. Massage can also increase the circulation which will speed up healing and have you starting your day free from heel pain in no time!

Plantar Fasciitis Surgery – Is It Right For You?

Plantar-Fasciitis-doc — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 05:16:21 +0000

Most doctors agree that plantar fasciitis can often be treated with less invasive treatments. Some even guess that over 90% of plantar fasciitis symptoms and complications are resolved within a year. Most patients will experience a complete recovery and freedom from debilitating plantar fasciitis heel pain. Simple and often very affordable treatments can start to take effect within a few days to weeks. It’s important to stress, that for the average person, plantar fasciitis pain can be treated without resorting to surgery.

If you have already tried a variety of proven plantar fasciitis treatment options such as plantar fasciitis night braces, stretches, proper footwear, orthotics or insoles, plantar fasciitis shoes and resolved problems with your posture and weight distribution you might be thinking that you need surgery. Once again, it is rare that surgery is actually the best answer to heel pain and plantar fasciitis symptoms. Your doctor may switch to a slightly more direct plantar fasciitis treatment such as cortisone injections.

So, you still want plantar fasciitis surgery? Ok, lets examine some of the risks to help make an informed decision about plantar fasciitis surgery.

Not predictable – Like many surgeries, surgery for plantar fasciitis is not completely predictable, different people experience varying degrees of success. Some sources state that plantar fasciitis surgery is succesful in around 70% of patients.

Loss of arch – The most common type of surgery loosens the tension on the plantar fascia, which if overdone, can lead to flat foot issues. You can potentially lose the arch of the foot. Complications arising from this can be worse than the original plantar fasciitis.

Nerve damage – Pain and numbness can arise through nerve damage from plantar fasciitis surgery.

Misdiagnosis – Since plantar fasciitis symptoms can often appear from other causes, if you were wrongly diagnosed in the first place, the plantar fasciitis surgery will not resolve the issue.

Infection – Infection is A common danger with any surgery.

Endoscopic plantar fascia release is a newer technology that requires much smaller incisions and uses a tiny camera. The effectiveness and dangers of this technique are debatable. Some doctors claim that this can lead to much wider spread nerve damage. Whether or not this is offered as an option depends on your orthopediac surgeons personal opinion on the matter. I think the majority of doctors prefer traditional surgical method for plantar fasciitis surgery.

Before even considering plantar fasciitis surgery make sure that you have fully exhausted all other treatment options. If you have tried a high quality plantar fasciitis night splint, exercises and stretches, insoles and orthotics, plantar fasciitis shoes, acupuncture, massage, and postural modifiction for a year and still have heel pain, then you may want to consult your doctor regarding plantar fasciitis surgery. Make sure you ask many questions and fully understand the risks, and potential for no improvement or more damage.

Plantar Fasciitis Shoes – Day Treatment For Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar-Fasciitis-doc — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:02:29 +0000

Plantar fasciitis shoes – Treatment for plantar fasciitis during the day

The shoes that you wearing play a big role in the over health of your feet, ankles and legs. This also clearly applies to plantar fasciitus shoes. Once you start to see plantar fasciitis symptoms you need to examine all the factors that may be contributing to the plantar fasciitis. One of the first things to look at is your shoes and footwear. Worn out, badly designed, or shoes that don’t fit properly can absolutely cause plantar fasciitis pain and heel pain.

Old shoes and plantar fasciitis have a definite relationship, worn out shoes can surely cause plantar fasciitis. If your shoes are old and worn, don’t hesitate to throw them out. Buying and wearing plantar fasciitis shoes can be a complete plantar fasciitis treatment with no other methods needed. This may not be true for everyone, but if your shoes are the main cause of plantar fasciitis, then no doubt it makes sense to buy plantar fasciitis shoes and do away with the needles heel pain in the morning. A quick look at the bottom of your shoes will tell you if it’s time to trash them. Your feet are not receiving proper support if you see too much wear on the heels or the toe area.

Plantar Fasciitis Shoes Buy the Best

Another common issue is shoes that don’t fit. Plantar fasciitis is often cause by the feet being rolled inwards. Shoes that are too big or fit sloppily around the feet without good support can cause the feet to roll inwards. Shoes that are too tight can put too much stress on the muscles and ligaments while you walk. Make sure that regardless of your choice of shoes for plantar fasciitis, that they fit correctly and match your feet. If you have wide feet, or narrow feet, it doesn’t matter as long as your shoes are a good fit. Make sure to try on shoes for plantar fasciitis late in the day instead of the morning since feet often swell and are larger in the afternoon.

The best shoes are ones that are well designed and offer proper foot support and structure. The more expensive plantar fasciitis shoes will sometimes, but not always be better designed and thus a good treatment for plantar fasciitis. Many people claim that Birkenstocks are very good for your feet, as well as Clarks for casual shoes. The idea being that you want good arch support and cushioning. It’s a fine line between support and softness. I have also heard good things about Chaco sandals. Since everyone’s arch is a little different, you will need to try out many different shoes for yourself. What works for one, may not work so well for another.

Once again, for many people finding and buying good shoes for plantar fasciitis will usually resolve the pain and discomfort over time. Don’t overlook this simple yet effective plantar fasciitis treatment. If your plantar fasciitis is chronic and needs additional treatment, then proper plantar fasciitis shoes will be one of many methods required to end this malady. Stretching, night splints and other plantar fasciitis treatment methods work great when complimented with quality plantar fasciitis shoes.

Arch Supports Plantar Fasciitis – Taping or Orthotics for Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar-Fasciitis-doc — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 14:53:29 +0000

The agonizing heel pain in the first steps of the morning are the classic sign of plantar fasciitis, but what can be done to remedy this situation? There seem to be many options, treatments, and products available that relieve heel pain cause by plantar fasciitis. One such option to lessen the heel pain is plantar fasciitis Arch supports and plantar fasciitis orthotics.

Your arches are very important in absorbing the impact of walking, running or even standing. A Plantar fasciitis arch support can greatly improve your recovery time. Plantar fasciitis arch supports provide the structure that is missing and add another layer of protection from further damage. Arch supports for plantar fasciitis can be as simple as a plantar fasciitis taping method or technique. The best arch supports for plantar fasciitis are custom orthotics made with quality materials. This is not to say that cheap and readily available over the counter arch supports for plantar fasciitis do not help, but that the best arch supports for plantar fasciitis are custom made for your feet.

If you choose to experiment with a plantar fasciitis taping technique, then realize that the arch support offered will be limited as the tape inevitably shifts and comes loose. Arch taping for plantar fasciitis can definately help with acute plantar fasciitis and is surely the easiest on your wallet. Plantar fasciitis taping must be done each time you exercise. You also must know the proper plantar fasciitis taping technique to get the maximum results from this temporary treatment. If you don’t have plantar fasciitis insoles, arch supports, or custom orthotics, then by all means you should be taping up before working out or competing. Plantar fasciitis taping can provide a semi effective short term plantar fasciitis arch support.

Here is one plantar fasciitis taping technique explained in the following video:

The popular ‘one size fits all’ plantar fasciitis arch supports are the second step up the plantar fasciitis arch support ladder. The cost is a little bit higher than taping, but they will last longer than a tape job too. For an extended case of chronic plantar fasciitis, these arch supports or plantar fasciitis insoles are actually much more cost effective. The tape needs to be re-applied again and again, while these plantar fasciitis insoles can be placed in your shoes and used for some time. Are over the counter arch supports for plantar fasciitis the best option? It depends, for some they may work fine. The material used to make these arch supports or plantar fasciitis insoles can make or break the product. It is also important to understand that each persons foot is different and requires different areas to be supported. I think that for young adults, these may be a great solution since their feet are quickly growing, and the more expensive custom arch supports may not be a wise use of limited funds. The best over the counter plantar fasciitis arch supports are ones with a strong resiliant and dense material that is still relatively soft on the feet.

Orthotics for plantar fasciitis are custom made arch supports and offer a good long term plantar fasciitis treatment. These custom made plantar fasciitis orthotic arch supports are made from a foot impression in a plaster cast. This is then used to design the optimum orthotic to resolve specific problems with your feet or posture. Over-pronation (rolling the feet inward) is a very common issue resolved through custom orthotics. Many patients have reported excellent results from properly designed custom made plantar fasciitis orthotics. These orthotics for plantar fasciitis provide the structure and support exactly where it is needed and are a long term solution since they usually last much longer than over the counter arch supports. As you may have guessed, the problem with custom orthotics for plantar fasciitis is the cost. They are not usually covered by health insurance and it can cost anywhere from $75 to 500 for properly made orthotics.

Plantar Fasciitis Night Splints – What are they and do they work?

Plantar-Fasciitis-doc — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 06:01:52 +0000

Plantar fasciitis night splints are devices that are designed to gently flex and stretch the muscles, tendons and ligaments to relieve plantar fasciitus heel pain. The common method is to put the plantar fasciitus night splints on your feet before you go to bed and leave them on all night while you sleep. Plantar fasciitis night splints come in many shapes, materials and designs. Some plantar fasciitis night splints are simple socks, while others are full blown braces running all the way up to the knees. The purpose of plantar fasciitis night splints is to brace the foot into the optimum angle to facilitate stretching of the plantar fascia ligament. A good plantar fasciitis brace will also gently stretch the calf muscles and other muscles involved to reduce stress on the plantar fascia.

The pain and discomfort of plantar fasciitis can be treated with a variety of methods. Plantar fasciitis night splints are definitely one of the most popular due to their non-invasive nature. Some plantar fasciitis treatments require multiple trips to the clinic or long term and expensive techniques. Plantar fasciitis orthotics are another very popular treatment and these can be used in conjuction with night splints. Plantar fasciitis night splints are an effective and easy method that works for almost everyone.

Plantar Fasciitis Night Splint

There are many advantages to using a plantar fasciitis night splint. One of the main reasons people like to use their plantar fasciitis night splint is that is works while they sleep. This is ideal since it will not disrupt your daily routine or activities. Another great thing about using a plantar fasciitis night splint is that it treats your condition before you take those first few steps in the morning. As we all know, the first steps of the day are often the most painful. A plantar fasciitis night splint directly tackles this issue and can make heel pain as you get out of bed nothing more than a distant memory. Plantar fasciitis night splints are also a relatively cost effective treatment option. One or two trips to a doctor or health clinic will easily cost more than the top of the line plantar fasciitis night splint.

The underlying cause of plantar fasciitis needs to be discovered and resolved. This is an important lesson to learn because no treatment will be effective unless we deal with the cause. You may buy and properly use a plantar fasciitis night splint but still have heel pain many months or years afterwards. In order to avoid this, you should look carefuly at your daily routine, your footwear, your walking gait and how you stand and balance on your feet. A small structural change can go a long way to resolve plantar fasciitis heel pain. A plantar fasciitis night splint will treat you at night while you sleep, but you still need to acknowledge the daytime treatment and initial causes of your heel pain.

In conclusion, plantar fasciitis night splints can be an effective treatment for early morning heel pain. It is important to find one that fits your needs and preferences so that you will actually use it every night. The cost is relatively small when compared with other methods and treatments. They are easy to use, and require no special training or doctors recomendation. Remember to also deal with your daytime activities and other factors that may be effecting your plantar fasciitis heel pain.

Plantar Fasciitis And Running

Plantar-Fasciitis-doc — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 10:57:26 +0000

Plantar fasciitus and running are a painful combination. Runners place extra strain and wear on their feet compared to non-runners and can damage the plantar fascia resulting in plantar fasciitus. Runners and joggers account for around a million cases of plantar fasciitus each year in the United States. Somewhere between five and ten percent of all running injuries and complications are from plantar fasciitus and tearing or damage and the resulting imflammation of the plantar fascia. Athletes that run a lot and place more strain on their feet can be susceptable to plantar fasciitus such as Basketball players, Aerobics trainers, Tennis players, Dancers, and Volleyball players. Being athletic and running does not directly cause plantars fasciitus, but these activities can result in connective tissue damage. In fact, just spending a large amount of time on your feet with bad footwear or if you are overweight can instigate the sharp pain of plantar fasciitus.

Plantar Fasciitus and Running

This connective tissue, known as the plantar fascia runs from the heel bone to the base of the toes. The plantar fascia ligament is actually very strong and resilient but can be damaged from over-use or strain. This connective tissue gives stability to the metatarsal joints while you walk or run. It works as a shock absorber for the body, legs, and feet. We use this ligament with every step we take but often forget it’s there until there is a problem.

If you experience heel pain when you step out of bed in the morning or during the first part of your daily run, chances are you have plantars fasciitus. The pain may slowly go away as you continue running, but the cause is still there. Speaking of causes, what causes plantar fasciitus in runners? The short answer is pulling, stress and excessive tension placed on the plantar fascia. Running amplifies the pounding that the feet take with each step and is often done for long periods of time over many months or years. Some specific running related causes of plantar fasciitus such as overtraining can be remedied with a proper and sensible training program. It’s easy to overtrain and strain a ligament such as the plantar fascia especially over a period of many months. Inflexible calf muscles can transfer more pressure to the plantar fascia. Tight, inflexible Achilles tendons can also over stress this important connective tissue. If your feet rotate inward when you impact the the ground, this overpronation can cause plantar fasciitis. High arches,flat feet, and rigid unflexible feet can cause complications. Many of these are directly caused by worn shoes or using shoes that are not designed for running and jogging. The other major factor is a proper warm up, it is very important to warm you muscles and then stretch them as they get loosened up before doing any hard core running or other training.

To review the causes of plantar fasciitus related to running:

Overtraining

Tight achilles tendons lacking flexibility

Calf muscles too tight lacking flexibility

Inward rotation – overpronation

High Arches

Flat feet

Inflexible feet

Worn shoes or incorrect footwear

Improper or no warm up routine

Through understanding the causes of plantar fasciitus related to running, we can make basic structural changes in our gate, footwear, and training program to avoid and slowly recover from connective tissue damage. Once a runner or jogger has tearing and inflammation of the plantar fascia, it’s all too easy to keep injuring it through ignorance of the physiology and biomechanics involved. A runner with plantar fasciitus needs to take action sooner rather than later so his or her training can continue while slowly repairing and strengthening this important ligament.

Plantar Fasciitis and Diabetes – Is There a Link?

Plantar-Fasciitis-doc — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 07:55:56 +0000

The burning and sharp heel pain associated with plantar fasciitis has become quite common and widespread, but is the any link or correlation to Diabetes? Is there a cause and effect relationship between plantar fasciitus and Diabetes? Is Diabetes a factor in plantar fasciitis? Are Diabetics more susceptible to damage of the plantar fascia and the resulting heel pain of plantar fasciitis? I hope to answer a few of these questions and possibly stir up a few more questions in the process.

Is Diabetes related to Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is caused from damage, tearing and strain of the ligament known as the plantar fascia. Diabetes is a high blood sugar (glucose) level resulting from the body not producing enough insulin or its inability to use the insulin that is produced. Diabetics often have problems healing and getting sufficient circulation to the extremities like the feet and thus can suffer from foot related problems. When a diabetic gets an infection in the foot, it can take much longer to heal than it would for a person without diabetes. The healing of the plantar fascia could also be slowed down in a diabetic’s foot in much the same way. The excess blood sugar in the blood stream from diabetes has been shown to cause long term tissue damage. The tissue damage from diabetes often manifest in the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels, gums, and of course the feet. A person who has had diabetes for many years can definitely develop foot problems from nerve damage and poor blood circulation. This can certainly have an effect on the plantar fascia the same way it affects the rest of the foot. I think it’s absolutely valid to say that diabetes is, and can be a contributing factor in plantar fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis has been said to be caused from physical causes. Things like improper footwear, bad posture while walking or standing, over use or over stretching and sports injuries. Plantar fasciitis is also caused by over tightening of antagonistic muscles like the calf and others that due to their inflexibility pull on the plantar fascia and cause small tears. In most all cases, there is a clear physical cause that can be remedied and will eventually bring about relief. This indicates that plantar fasciitis is not directly related to things like blood sugar but rather caused from tearing brought about by physical causes.

From my research I found no absolutely conclusive evidence of a direct causal relationship between Diabetes and plantar fasciitis. This being said, there are some clear pointers that a positive correlation exists between the two. A diabetic will be at risk for any number of foot related complications and will have a harder time recovering than a non diabetic. For plantar fasciitis to develop though, a physical cause is needed, either a onetime accident or more commonly, a recurring misalignment or misuse.

In conclusion, there is a link between diabetes and plantar fasciitis but no evidence of a direct causal relationship. Diabetes can be a factor in plantar fasciitis and diabetics are more susceptible to developing plantar fasciitis and may have a harder time healing than others.

Plantar Fasciitis Heel Pain

Plantar-Fasciitis-doc — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:05:56 +0000

Plantar Fasciitis, sometimes called Plantars Fasciitus or planter fasciitus is characterized by debilitating heel pain. Plantar fasciitus is a common cause of heel pain with around two million Americans suffering. Plantar fasciitus heel pain is most severe in the morning when the first steps of the day are taken, or the patient has been sitting for a long time. The tightness and sharp heel pain of Plantars fasciitus can either diminish or increase as the day goes on. Standing for long periods of time or hiking and stair climbing also seem to cause more heel pain. A patient with plantars fasciitus will often be unable to stretch his/her toes toward the shin, this is termed a decreased dorsiflexion of the ankle. There can also be related knee pains and problems in plantar fasciitus patients such as athletes and runners.

Plantar fasciitus is the result of inflammation and strain of a ligament known as the plantar fascia. The Plantar Fascia is a connective tissue spanning from the heel bone towards the toes. Once the plantar fascia is strained, it becomes inflamed, swollen and highly sensitive. There is usually a specific injury or repetitive cause leading to Plantar Fasciitus.

Some of the likely or common causes of strain and inflamation of the plantar fascia resulting in plantar fasciitus are:

Lack of flexibility in the Achilles tendons and calf muscles
Too much weight bearing on the feet – overweight
High arches
Flat feet
Standing, running, or walking on a hard surface for long periods
Pronation – The feet tend to point, or roll inward
Bad shoes – either a bad fit, or worn out soles and insoles
Sports injury one time, or repititave use injury

Plantar fasciitus is usually found in middle aged or older people but it can also affect young adults who spend a large amount of time standing like security guards, soldiers or athletes. If your job requires long hours on your feet you may experience plantar fasciitus at one time or another. Black rubber standing mats and proper footwear can help reduce the risk. An effective stretching routine, and standing with good posture can also alleviate the problems of plantar fasciitus. It is also important to not overload your feet by being overweight.

Plantars fasciitus can show up in either one or both feet depending upon the cause.

In short term acute cases, plantar fasciitus is the result of strain and inflammation of the plantar fascia. In long term chronic cases it can display a degeneration of the plantar fascia and is known as plantar fasciosis. It is wise to address the root causes early on and not just treat the pain so long term damage doesn’t take place.