Plantar fasciitis refers to the pain in the heel. This makes the person hard to walk and even to stand. The person will be unable to bear his own weight and it may also result in injuries to the knee and hip regions. Various other terms such as jogger’s heel, police heel are also used for plantar fasciitis. Pain is mainly due to inflammation of the foot tissue.

Individuals who are in the age group of 40-60 years are at high risk. Women have greater chance of developing this disorder than men. Pregnant women and individuals who are obese easily develop this disorder, and their excess weight hurts the heel badly. For unknown reasons, diabetic patients are at more risk. Disorders such as arthritis and psoriasis aggravate the symptoms of plantar fasciitis. It is found that the problem is more severe in individuals with either flat feet or feet that is highly curved.

Plantar fasciitis is characterized by a patient who is reporting pain when taking a few steps early in the morning or after long hours of sitting. This could also feel when you change your footwear or has been moving on hard surface. Infected patients feel hard to walk on barefoot over a hard surface and they love to walk on their toes. The pain reduces automatically after taking a few steps but may reverse back after long hours of standing or taking more number of steps.

Causes for plantar fasciitis are unknown but is more commonly seen in runners. Thus, it is considered that repeated minor foot injuries and long hours of standing as in case of policemen results in heel pain.

As the exact cause of plantar fasciitis is unknown, it is recommended to use simple home remedies rather than using medications. A simple remedy is by having regular practice of exercises that help in stretching the heel, and also the use of shoes with soft cushions. If the pain is worse and inflammation persists for longer period, try taking anti-inflammatory drugs. Drink plenty of fluids. This will help in increasing the circulation that helps to reduce the stiffness of the heel muscles.

If the pain is not relieved even with the above simple measures, it is recommended to consult a physician for proper diagnosis. X-rays, or a bone scan or MRI scan is generally used to determine if the entire foot structure is fine, and to rule out problems such as presence of cysts or heel spurs. If the pain is due to other reasons, treat them to relieve from pain.

But, if the pain is due to plantar fasciitis, your doctor may recommend other measures in addition to the above measures. For example, putting ice for about a period of ten minutes will help you to relieve from pain. If the pain is due to those extra pounds, then he will suggest you measures to burn the extra fat. In more severe cases, corticosteroid injections are used to relieve the pain. You may be given pads to be placed in the shoes to ease your style of walking. To provide relief from severe morning pain, you will be given night splints that keep the plantar fascia well stretched throughout the night, and thereby reduce the pain early in the morning when you get up.

Rick Missimer

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