subject: Do You Have Plantar Fasciitis? [print this page] Your foot is composed of many intricate types of tissues that can cause pain when injured. The location of the pain is a good indication of what the problem is. What you should be particularly attentive to when it comes to foot health is the presence of plantar fasciitis symptoms. It is estimated that approximately ten percent of society suffers from this injury to the foot. It is often caused by prolonged stress to the plantar fascia of the foot. When you understand how the skeletal and muscular systems work in the body, you may be able to pinpoint the origin of your pain which throws your whole body out of whack. Choosing an effective treatment plan can not only relieve the symptoms of this condition, but can correct the origin of disruption in your foot. But before you start treatment, you need to be sure that you actually have plantar fasciitis.
Generally, plantar fasciitis symptoms start in just one foot; however, this foot problem may affect both feet simultaneously. It could also spread from one foot to both. It is not contageous, but when the posture changes due to pain in one foot, it can cause it to develop in the other foot due to the increased forces that the healthy plantar fascia has to take to compensate for the injured one. Plantar fasciitis symptoms may include a burning or sharp pain in the foot.
What You Can Do To Control Plantar Fasciitis Symptoms
Controlling your plantar fasciitis symptoms becomes easier when you take it one step at a time. First you need a diagnosis, not only to ensure that supposed plantar fasciitis symptoms are caused by this foot condition, but also to determine the severity of the problem. Any method that can be used to relieve pressure, strain, and inflammation should be taken into consideration. The use of hot and cold therapies, massage, and even acupuncture may assist the healing process. When misalignment in the spine and the skeletal and muscular systems are resolved, this removes pressure from your foot so it can gradually heal.
If you experience pain that is exacerbated by physical activity that you just cant avoid during the day, plantar fasciitis symptoms can be managed with a splint around your foot. This method allows the affected part of your foot to be properly supported, to prevent overstretching. This method may also relieve inflamed tissue enough so that you can get a good nights rest. Plantar fasciitis mainly affects the bottom of the heel or the bottom of the foot arch, but not usually the back of the heel, as that is most likely to be Achilles tendonitis.
Relieving your plantar fasciitis symptoms can be simple. Wearing a night splint throughout the night for instance, will help to prevent morning foot pain. The splint keeps the plantar fascia in a stretched state, to prevent the sudden stretching in the morning, which can cause small tears to form in the tissue. A boot does the same during the day. Another thing to keep in mind is prevention. Once you treat this condition, you do not want it to recur, so methodical preventative techniques must be employed even when the pain has abated and the condition has healed. If you have had plantar fasciitis once, the chances are high that it will strike again. Unless, of course, the root cause is treated and you spend time strengthening the plantar fascia with exercises.
