Plantar Fasciitis Treatment Adelaide (North Adelaide & Eastwood)
Helping you to move easier, one step at a time.
Plantar Fasciitis Treatment in Eastwood and North Adelaide
Adelaide has an active population of walkers, runners, and athletes. As a result, we see patients with plantar fasciitis often at SA Running Injury Clinic, and treat patients at our two Adelaide clinics in Eastwood and North Adelaide. Our patients come from surrounding areas including Walkersville, Parkside, Norwood, Glenside, and Toorak Gardens.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. While the condition is most commonly seen in runners and people who are overweight, plantar fasciitis can affect anybody.
Your feet have thick bands of tissue, called plantar fascia, that run along the bottom of each foot. This band connects the heel bone to the toes. When the plantar fascia is inflamed and causes pain, it is called plantar fasciitis.
What are the Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis?
The most common symptoms of plantar fasciitis include:
- Stabbing pain in your feet, most often with your first steps in the morning
- Pain in the bottom of your foot
- Heel pain
- An increase in pain following physical activity
- Pain that gets worse when you flex your foot and improves when you point your toes down
The Causes of Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is a result of inflammation of the plantar fascia. This can become inflamed due to:
- Overusing your feet
- Putting stress on the heel bone during activities such as running, dancing, and aerobics
- Overstretching
- A high arch in your foot
- Low arches
- Pregnancy
- Being middle aged or older
- Being overweight
- Spending a lot of time on your feet, including standing
- Tight calf muscles
- Wearing shoes with poor arch support or stiff soles
Treatment Options for Plantar Fasciitis
| Home treatments Rest, icing, and anti-inflammatory medications are generally the first step taken by people with plantar fasciitis. | Physical therapy Physical therapy that stretches the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon can strengthen lower leg muscles and improve plantar fasciitis. | Night splints A splint will hold the plantar fascia in a lengthened position overnight, helping to stretch the ligament. |
| Orthotics Custom-fitted arch supports, or orthotics, help to evenly distribute the pressure on your feet and minimise pressure on the plantar fascia. | Shock wave therapy In shock wave therapy, sound waves are directed at the painful area to aid healing. This is most often used when patients haven’t responded to more conservative treatments. | Walking boot, cane, or crutches
Using one of these for a short period can alleviate the pressure placed on your foot. |
Your Plantar Fasciitis Questions Answered
Plantar fasciitis is when the ligament at the bottom of your feet, called the plantar fascia, becomes inflamed. This causes pain under your feet when you stand up after long periods of sitting or lying, or following physical activity.
Standing up and walking first thing in the morning can trigger plantar fasciitis pain. It can also appear after long periods of standing, or when you stand up from sitting down. Causes of plantar fasciitis can include the type of shoes you wear, the structure of your foot, and the type of surface you walk or run on.
Having excess body weight can make plantar fasciitis worse, as extra weight places more pressure on your plantar fascia. Plantar fasciitis can also be made worse by wearing ill-fitting or worn out shoes, participating in high-impact sports, or standing for long periods of time.
Plantar fasciitis can be treated by a foot specialist known as a podiatrist.
If you leave plantar fasciitis untreated, you may unconsciously change the way you walk to minimise pain. Over time, your body can adapt which can then result in pain in other areas of your body such as your legs, knees, hips, and back. Untreated plantar fasciitis can also lead to plantar rupture, which requires you to stay off your feet for a long period of time.
Home treatments such as resting, stretching, massage, and using ice packs can provide fast relief. Holding an ice pack wrapped in a cloth over the area of pain for 15 minutes several times a day can be a fast and effective treatment.
Plantar fasciitis can occur gradually or suddenly.
While walking can relieve pain that arises after long periods of sitting or lying down, the pain will return and become more uncomfortable throughout the day.
Plantar fasciitis typically hurts most first thing in the morning, if left untreated it can cause pain for longer periods of time up to the point where you may feel pain all day.
Plantar fasciitis usually takes three to 12 months to feel better, depending on your activity levels and any at-home treatments you may be using.
While plantar fasciitis can go away on its own, it takes much longer than it would with treatment.
Book Your Podiatry Appointment
Pain in your feet can impact your day to day life, even if you’re not an athlete such as a long distance runner. When you have pain in the bottom of your feet it could be plantar fasciitis, which can get worse over time if not treated. To book your podiatry appointment, contact our helpful team at SA Running Injury Clinic today.
BOOK YOUR PODIATRY APPOINTMENT
_________________________________________________________________________
You can book an appointment at SA Running Injury Clinic Online or over the phone. Please note we have two clinics.
Call SA Running Injury Clinic, North Adelaide : 8239 1022
Call SA Running Injury Clinic, Eastwood : 8357 0700