Chiropractic for Plantar Fasciitis…My Feet Always Hurt!
Do you have foot pain when you first wake up in the morning? Does it get better throughout the day and then BAM…it starts to hurt again? If so, you could have plantar fasciitis. In this week’s blog, we will discuss what plantar fasciitis is, the risk factors and how to treat it conservatively with chiropractic for plantar pasciitis.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is a condition where a thick band of tissue that runs from the heel to the bottom of the foot and toes becomes extremely tight causing inflammation. Most of the time, plantar fasciitis patients will experience pain in the heel, but that does not mean its exclusive to that area. Pain can be felt on the bottom, top or sides of the foot as well. When diagnosing plantar fasciitis, it is based more so on clinical presentation as x-rays or MRI’s will show nothing. A classic sign of plantar fasciitis is that there will be pain first thing in the morning because everything is so stiff when you first wake up. As the day progresses, the pain will ease up when moving around, but tend to get worse by the end of the day indicating you were on your feet too long.
Plantar Fasciitis Risk Factors
Some very common risk factors of plantar fasciitis include being a female, over the ages of 40-60, being obese, having flat feet or high arches, having a tight Achilles tendon, having an unusual walk or foot position, wearing high-heeled shoes, spending many hours standing each day and wearing worn-out shoes with thin soles. As you can see, other than being a female and specific age group, plantar fasciitis can be prevented from occurring by doing stretches and most importantly, WEARING GOOD FOOTWEAR!
Treating Plantar Fasciitis Conservatively
When people have months of foot pain, their first thought is to go to a podiatrist. If pain does not seem to subside, they may give you a cortisone injection and in rare cases, surgery. Remember, injections can only be done two or three times before it ruins tissue, so that might not be the best solution. A lot of patients will use physical therapy to help promote exercises and stretches to the foot. Others will turn to night splints which can be a hit or miss. There is a cheaper and more efficient way that may be better suit your foot pain though! I bet you know the answer. If you said CHIROPRACTIC, you are correct! Chiropractors adjust feet too, and they can provide exercises and stretches to help relax the tissue at the bottom of the foot. At our office, we provide a specific foot adjustment and stretch the foot to help relax the tissue. The doctors have a variety of exercises for patients to do at home to help assist the adjustment and eliminate the plantar fasciitis! Let us get you up and moving again without any pain! If you have any questions about chiropractic for plantar fasciitis, contact us today!