HEEL PAIN - HEEL SPURS - ARCH PAIN - PLANTAR FASCIITIS

Heel pain or painful heels are sometimes considered synomous with heel spur syndrome and we will explain why heel spur syndrome as a cause of painful heels is not really different than plantar fasciitis as a cause of heel pain. While this site focuses on the mechanical causes of plantar fasciitis, we also discuss other causes. As one of the most common causes of foot pain this can affect how you walk. Foot pain lessens worker productivity, slows or stops many exercise programs and can cause postural symptomatology such as knee or back pain. Many cases if left untreated or undertreated will turn in into a chronic problem. The goal here is to provide public education for this and other related foot relief.

There are a lot of sites on the net concerning plantar fasciitis. So many of them are trying to sell you something. I am a practicing podiatric physician who simply got tired of all the hype and decided to write a site about plantar fasciitis. I have been treating plantar fasciitis since I graduated from the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in 1982. This is a site that, hopefully, has no hype, just the straight facts. There are banner adds on the site but my goal is simply to recoup the costs of creating this site. I will sell nor recommend no gadgets, nostrums, potions, inserts or any of the other things found on so many sites being offered as a cure for plantar fasciitis. I think that many of those items are simply marketing ploys to get desperate patients to buy things that often will not help them. I will attempt to stick to the facts, specifically plantar fasciitis as we know it. Not all professionals (I wish they did) help people with plantar fasciitis so use this site as a guide or road map to help lead to your cure. Never lose sight of the fact that almost all (about 98%) is curable. So called "incurable" heel pain or intractable plantar fasciitis is treatable via ESWT (http://www.ismst.com/ or http://www.asmst.org/).

Most heel pain is caused by plantar fasciitis, (pronounced PLANT-tar fashee-EYE-tiss), the fascia being a band or bundle of connective tissue and "-itis" means "inflammation. The plantar fascia is the ligament that stretches from the heel bone to the ball of the foot. It is trapezoidal in shape, being narrower at its attachment at the heel bone, then widening out as it attaches to the ball of the foot. While it attaches across the ball of the foot, the strongest portion attaches to the base of the big toe.

The plantar fascia, the "ligament" that gets sore, causing pain is responsible for holding or giving support to the arch of the foot as it bowstrings across the bottom of the foot. It covers the muscles on the bottom of the foot and endures tension that is equal to about 2.5 times body weight when walking but 3 to 4 times body weight while running.

The amount of tension in the plantar fascia can be increased by tight calf muscles and also by increased body weight. Being overweight makes plantar fasciitis more common but is not usually the main cause. People with painful heels often limit the amount of walking they do creating a syndrome that can contribute to being overweight. A slow, gradual weight loss program is superior to rapid weight loss.

Due to the repetitive nature of walking, plantar fasciitis (PF) can be considered a repetitive stress injury similar to carpal tunnel syndrome and not unlike tennis elbow. Each step, the heel contacts the ground followed by the front of the foot lowering and then the arch, stretching the plantar fascia, a spring like mechanism. Like any repetitive stress injury, it repsonds well to rest, icing, stretching, massage and to a lessor extent, anti-inflammatory medication such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAID)s. Direct treatments such as splinting, orthotics,taping and physical therapy are often more successful in helping pain caused by plantar fasciitis (PF). Sometimes professional intervention is necessary but almost never surgical treatment which gas been supplanted by Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) which is discussed on this site (see http://www.asmst.org/). So called heel spurs are merely a chronically inflamed plantar fascia in which calcium forms and eventually bone. Heel spur syndrome is not treated differently than plantar fasciitis. Foot pain is simply not something people need to learn to live with. Painful heels are not a normal condition and can easily be cured with the right treatment.

Podiatric physicians are uniquely qualified to offer professional treatment for sufferers of plantar fasciitis although generally it is something seen by family physicians first and will treat the early symptoms of plantar fasciitis. If the symptoms persist, they may elect to refer their patient to a podiatrist or other specialist. Please take the time to read this website carefully because I have tried to describe the "state of the art" treatment for this condition caused by plantar fasciitis. Again, foot pain caused by plantar fasciitis is absolutely curable and not something one must live with.

A difficult medical term for the layman to spell. Common mispellings are plantar fasciiitis, planter fasciitis, plantar fasciities, planter fasciities among many others.