What are the best treatments for plantar fasciitis?

The foot pain plantar fasciitis causes can creep up on you. When you are laying in bed each morning, your feet may feel good, however when you take that first step of the day, there is that shooting pain again.

Plantar fasciitis is usually caused as a result of the overuse or overstretching the ligament – too much pressure on your feet can tear or damage the ligaments, causing the plantar fascia to become inflamed, which ultimate results in heal pain and stiffness. The key to recovering from plantar fasciitis is following a consistent care and treatment plan.

Thankfully, there are many treatments for plantar fasciitis – at Sky Podiatry, we offer podiatry services to treat plantar fasciitis including:

Custom Orthotics and Offloading

Custom orthotics are made specifically for your feet, providing the unique support you need. Orthotics work to improve the bodies biomechanics to improve efficiency and reduce the load. By enhancing the biomechanics of the foot, we offload the compression of these tissues that are working extremely hard and improve the overall muscle activation within the foot. It is important to note that orthotics work best when combined with the correct footwear, and the strengthening and conditioning of the foot.

Footwear

Your podiatrist will examine whether your choice of footwear is hindering or helping the pain caused by plantar fasciitis. Most podiatrists see that the footwear is the root of the issue causing plantar fasciitis, so they will assess their patient’s footwear to ensure that it provides the finest support and will offer recommendations on the best footwear to invest in.

Strength and Conditioning

To heal planta fasciitis, you need to condition and strengthen the ligament so that the tissue can go back to its normal state. The way to do this is through consistent, and repetitive offloading. Your podiatrist will advise you on which strengthening exercises will work best to strengthen the body and teach it that it is stronger than what it perceives itself to be. By consistently performing these exercises, your body will realise that the ‘work’ is not going away, thus the tissue of the plantar fascia will begin to strengthen and repair, ultimately relieving the pain.

Adjunctive Therapies

Adjunctive therapies such as dry needling, shock-wave therapy, corticosteroid injections, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are considered along with the other options. It is important to remember that these therapies all provide short-term relief, and that it is vital to get the core down pact prior to adding additional treatments to improve the speed of recovery.

If you are experiencing any sort of foot discomfort, and are seeking specialised treatment for plantar fasciitis, book a consultation at Sky Podiatry, and one of our skilled podiatrists will be able to help treat any issues. Call us on (03) 6732 7838 for more information.