Plantar Fasciitis

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Plantar Fasciitis:

At K.M. Woods Physiotherapy, Glasgow, Plantar Fasciitis is a condition we see regularly in clinic, and a primary cause of sole-of-the-foot pain and tightness. We’ve all heard the term Plantar Fasciitis and most certainly know at least one person who’s experienced it. Not many people actually understand what the condition is however, why it occurs so regularly within our everyday lives or what to do about it. The great news is, it certainly is very manageable and, with the correct treatment, can be gone for good.

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

The Plantar Fascia is a band of connective tissue that runs from the heel of your foot into the base of your toes. It provides support for the sole of your foot, particularly the arch. When the arch becomes irritated, due to a sudden overload or repetitive overload, it becomes painful. It might get inflamed and tender and over time this can lead to irritation and degeneration.

What does Plantar Fasciitis feel like?

  • Pain at the heel, or at the base of the toes.
  • Pain under the sole of the foot that runs along the arch
  • Tenderness to touch over the inner heel
  • Pain during standing, walking, running and stair climbing
  • Limping
  • Pain is generally worse first thing in the morning, upon rising having been sat for a prolonged period, or after exercising
  • Pain during dorsiflexion (where the ankle is bent upwards towards the shin) as this stretches the calf muscle and plantar soft tissues.

How do I alleviate my Plantar Fasciitis?

  • Reduce the irritating factor
  • ‘Active rest’
  • Allow time for healing and recovery
  • Ice, Golf ball rolling, wearing gel pads for pain management

Active rehabilitation, the most critical part of recovery from pain or injury, is required as we need to slowly rebuild and reactive the surrounding structures that have been implicated in the overload at the Plantar Fascia, including the ankle itself & also the entire kinetic muscular chain above, starting from your lower back, hip and gluteal area right down through the thigh/hamstring and into the calf muscle.

Avoid over-stretching as it can aggravated an already irritated structure

Every person’s pain experience and behavior with Plantar Fasciitis is different, which is why seeing a Physiotherapist can be highly beneficial and often necessary. At K.M. Woods Physiotherapy, your treatment and management plan should to be specific and individualized for you and your needs in order for lasting benefits to be felt.

Call 01413530906 today to enquire further regarding how our skilled physiotherapy staff can help your foot pain, with physio appointments available at our four clinical sites; Glasgow West End (G3), Clarkston (G76), Newton Mearns (G77), & Kirkintilloch (G66).

Trust us at K.M. Woods Physiotherapy, Glasgow, to help get you back to what you love doing without the burden of foot pain and tightness.