Plantar Fasciitis

What is plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is a problem that the chiropractors at Lilliput Health encounter on a regular basis. The problem involves strain to the plantar fascia which is located on the bottom of the foot. The most common area for this to occur is where the plantar fascia attaches to the heel bone (otherwise known as the calcaneus).

It is very common for sufferers of plantar fasciitis to feel the pain most intensely when waking up first thing in the morning or after other periods of prolonged rest. The symptoms include pain on the bottom of the foot around the heel area which becomes worse when pressure is applied with the fingers or when walking.

What can cause plantar fasciitis?

There are many different reasons why plantar fasciitis may occur. Plantar fasciitis is most commonly caused by repetitive strain injury to the ligament of the sole of the foot. Two most common reasons our chiropractors see at Lilliput Health are:

  1. The feet are very stiff;
  2. The feet are too loose (which can be seen with fallen arches and overpronation). Both of these can lead to irritation of the plantar fascia, which leads to pain.

At Lilliput Health we see many different people who suffer from plantar fasciitis but it is most commonly seen in runners who are deconditioned or who have recently increased their mileage. In others, this condition is caused by inadequate foot gear, and jumping injury from landing.

How do we treat plantar fasciitis?

Our chiropractors at Lilliput Health take a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of all conditions and plantar fasciitis is no exception. This begins with a thorough examination of the patient’s history and presenting symptoms to make the correct diagnosis of plantar fasciitis and rule out any other possibilities. The examination involves identifying whether there are areas within the leg and foot, which are stiff and restricted or weak and loose. Once the cause has been identified the treatment plan can be tailored to the individual patient rather than a “one size fits all” treatment plan.