The Trainer's Room: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis

Here are some self tests you can do to determine if you might have plantar fasciitis:

1. Pain on the inside (medial) portion of the calcaneus.
2. Pain during the first few steps in the morning.
3. Localized swelling on the bottom of the foot, or along the plantar fascia.
4. Standing on the toes causes either a band like pain on the bottom of the foot, or increases the pain symptoms near the calcaneus.
5. Pain on the bottom of the foot when pushing of with the toe. Ex. sprinting or jumping

If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms, it is a good indication that you might have plantar fasciitis. In order to prevent further injury and pain, this would be a good time to consult your physician and discuss your potential plantar fasciitis diagnosis.

Your doctor may take is an X-ray to rule out any underlying fracture, dislocation, or other abnormality. In about 50 percent of cases where there is a plantar fasciitis diagnosis, a heel spur can be seen on the X-ray. The spur is the body’s way of trying to protect itself. Over time with the chronic strain and stress on the area the body will begin to lay down calcium in the area for stabilization. Once the spur forms it is common to have pain directly over that area.

Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

The most commonly misapplied treatment of plantar fasciitis is to stretch and massage the area. As mentioned above the plantar fascia is already stretched and torn, which causes the pain.

Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis (image courtesy of Spectrum Wellness)

Common sense would tell us that if the fascia is already stretched and torn, that further stretching the area as part of a plantar fasciitis treatment plan would in fact cause more damage than good. When the injury first occurs, applying pressure to the area may actually cause some relief. The reason for this is the pressure on the inflamed, injured area will release endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers. The down side to the unfortunately common plantar fasciitis treatment approach of stretching and massaging is further damage to the injury and a higher probability of recurrent injuries. The stretched fascia is already depleted in oxygen. The increased pressure will further deprive the injured area of essential oxygen.

Plantar fasciitis responds very well to conservative care. If you notice any of these symptoms the best thing you can do is get plantar fasciitis treatment quickly. This condition can easily be resolved with the appropriate care. Many with plantar fasciitis think that they have to live with it, or they are one of the few that plantar fasciitis treatment will not help. This is simply not true. If you get on top of your plantar fasciitis treatment quickly, the pain will generally subside, and the incidence of chronic problems will greatly decrease.

There are several successful treatments for plantar fasciitis. We will now describe the treatments we have success with at Mountain View Pain Center.

Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis

First and foremost, after the initial injury you must get ice on the area immediately. If you wait and try to “walk it off," the foot will swell and become increasingly tender over the next few days, making even the simple task of walking a real problem. After you have followed the steps of PRICE (protection, rest, ice, compression, elevation), get yourself to someone who deals with sports injuries for treatment. Making a trip to the emergency room for this will be an unnecessary and expensive trip. The treatment you receive there will be some sort of pain killer or shot to reduce the pain and swelling, then a referral to either a chiropractor, therapist, or sports medicine doctor.

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