Medicine for Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain caused by tears in the plantar fascia, a band of tissue that travels across the bottom of your foot from your heel to your toes. Untreated, plantar fasciitis has the potential to cause back, knee and hip problems that decrease your mobility, making treatment for the condition very important.

Function

• The purpose of medications used to treat plantar fasciitis is either to alleviate the pain associated with the condition or reduce the inflammation of the tissue so that it can heal properly.

Identification

• The medications commonly used to treat plantar fasciitis include over-the-counter nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory medicines like naproxen and ibuprofen and corticosteroid drugs.

Corticosteroids

• To treat plantar fasciitis, doctors sometimes utilize iontophoresis, a medical procedure where corticosteroids are applied topically to the skin and then treated with an electric current to cause the medication to penetrate the skin into the tissue below. Doctors also have the option of administering corticosteroid injections.

Time Frame

• Treatment of plantar fasciitis with medications takes an average of nine months to be effective, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Most people recover from the condition with a year, but in some cases, the pain from the condition persists for up to two years.

Risks

• Nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory medications pose a risk for ulcers in your digestive tract, which can lead to bleeding, perforation or a hole in one of your organs, or an obstruction or blockage in the tract, according to the American College of Gastroenterology. In some cases, injected corticosteroids cause the plantar fascia to rupture completely, warns the American Family Physician.