Plantar Fascia Pain 

What is it?

•    Plantar fasciopathy  is the most common cause of chronic heel pain in adults

•       It results from chronic overload of the plantar fascia which sits underneath your foot and inserts into the inner part of your heel

Why does it happen?

•   Plantar fascia pain often occurs due to overuse, commonly seen in runners or those who stand for prolonged periods of time

•       Risk factors for the development of plantar fasciopathy include:

•      Unacccustomed spikes in training load

•      Calf Tightness

•       Calf and Intrinsic Foot Muscle Weakness

•     Foot Structure – Excessive flat foot or high arch structure

What does it look like?

•       Localised Pain at the bottom inside of the heel

•      Worse first thing in the morning or after long periods of rest

•      Point tenderness at the insertion of the plantar fascia at the heel

•      Can often warm up during a running/training session, but be worse for a period of time afterwards

How to get better?

•      Load Management – Allow irritability of the plantar fascia to settle, and safely re-load again back to your normal activities

•       Calf / Intrinsic Foot Muscle Strengthening – This allows an increased capacity for the plantar fascia to tolerate load, as well as allowing for better control around the mid-foot to prevent rapid pronation which can increase stress on the fascia and its insertion

•       Calf Stretching / Mobility – improving ankle range can help decrease load on the fascia – calf stretching, foam roller on the calf, golf ball release to the fascia can all be effective. Ensuring your 1st toe extends well can also be important

•      Taping and Orthotics – These can help to attenuate the forces going through the plantar fascia