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What Can I Do About Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis causes pain in the heel of your foot when you stand or walk. This pain is caused by inflammation of the plantar fasciia--tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot and connects your heel to your toes. Treatment focuses on easing the inflammation and changing your lifestyle to avoid re-irritating the plantar fascia. It's important to treat plantar fasciitis early on, so it doesn't turn into a chronic condition.

  1. Lifestyle

    • Changing your lifestyle will address the root causes of plantar fasciitis. One quick lifestyle fix is simply to rest. Staying off your feet gives inflammation time to go down. Cutting down on exercise or changing to a more low-impact exercise routine, such as swimming, can also help. Wearing orthotics in your shoes helps support your feet. You can even do simple at-home stretching exercises to loosen the plantar fasciia (see Resources for more information on foot stretching).

    Medication

    • Medications can cut down on plantar fasciitis pain, although they won't change any underlying lifestyle issues. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin and ibuprofen lessen inflammation pain. Corticosteroids can be used by a doctor in more severe cases of plantar fasciitis. The doctor applies the corticosteroids using an electric current on the skin--a process called iontophoresis (it doesn't hurt). Corticosteroids can also be injected, but injections can further damage the foot, so they can't be used often.

    Surgery/Other

    • In cases of chronic plantar fasciitis where all other treatments have failed, electrocorporeal shock wave treatment can be used. While the procedure sounds frightening, it really just involves sound waves (although it can be painful and leave behind side effects like bruising and tingling). The waves are directed at the foot and may help the body heal damaged tissue. Doctors are uncertain about the efficacy of this treatment. Surgery to disconnect the plantar fascia is a last resort, as it causes the arches to collapse.

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