Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of foot & heel pain. It’s extremely common in runners and people who spend most of their day standing.
Foot or heel pain? There’s good news – Prime Health Co. utilises cutting edge sports medicine technology called Shockwave Therapy combined with manual therapy & rehabilitation exercises to effectively treat plantar fasciitis in Brisbane.
Causes of Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar Fasciitis is due to inflammation and pain of the thick fibrous band that runs on the underside of your foot from your heel to your toes.
The main physical causes of plantar fasciitis are:
How Do We Treat Plantar Fasciitis
First, we need to identify any factors from your history that could be aggravating your symptoms. Some important factors to take note of is shoe choice, running distance, surface etc.
The next part of your assessment is to examine the arches of your feet, assess the mobility of your ankles and hips and test the strength of your glutes, hamstrings and calves.
Shockwave Therapy is usually recommended for all the cases of plantar fasciitis that we treat. It is an extremely powerful tool that is used to restart the repair process in your plantar fascia. Click here to learn more about the science behind shockwave therapy and how it’s used to treat plantar fasciitis and other conditions.
Your treatment will also consist of mobilisations of the foot, ankle and hip. Hands-on muscle release techniques, dry needling and stretching can be used to help release tight muscles that could be causing altered running mechanics and placing added load on your plantar fascia.
You will be given a home rehabilitation program with specific stretches and exercises to help speed up your recovery.
This video shows the treatment of a tricep tendon. Shockwave Therapy for plantar fasciitis is similar to this, but with different parameters set on the machine.
Additional Information
The most common symptom of plantar fasciitis is a stabbing pain felt on the underside of your foot that is at its worst during your first few steps in the morning. After a while, the pain usually decreases but it may flare up after prolonged periods of standing or while running or walking.
Orthotics may be beneficial if you have flat feet or collapsing arches. A podiatrist will be able to prescribe these for you.
During your recovery, it may be worthwhile minimising the amount of time you spend walking barefoot. Try to wear supportive thongs or trainers with good arch support and cushioning to prevent further aggravation of the plantar fascia.
