Plantar Fasciitis: Meaning, Diagnosis and Overview

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

It involves pain and inflammation of a thick band of tissue, called the plantar fascia that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes and acts as a kind of shock absorber to the foot. Chronic plantar fasciitis (long term) can lead to a build-up of bone (spur) at the point where the plantar fascia connects the heel bone. It is also known as heel pain, heel spur, heel spur syndrome.

Recovery Time

Plantar fasciitis is a self-limited condition but can take 6-18 months to resolve. Most people have completely recovered from an episode of plantar fasciitis within a year. However, some of the treatments may help to speed up your recovery.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is mainly done based on Physical examination and other tests include:

• X-ray and MRI
• Ultrasound scan

FAQs prepared by doctor

1. What is plantar fasciitis?
It involves pain and inflammation of a thick band of tissue, called the plantar fascia that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes and acts as a kind of shock absorber to the foot.
Chronic plantar fasciitis (long term) can lead to a build-up of bone (spur) at the point where the plantar fascia connects the heel bone.
It is also known as heel pain, heel spur, heel spur syndrome.

2. What to do when one is suffering from such condition?
One shall soak heel in a big bowl of ice water (5-10 minutes) twice daily until the pain subsides. Try to scrunch towels with your toes or pick up marbles with your toes or walk barefoot across a coarse gravel surface. Regular foot massage, concentrating on the arch of the foot should be done. Orthotics (braces, splints) can help reduce the pain on the bottom of the heel. Don?t wear worn out athletic shoes.

3. When shall one consult a doctor?
Consult Doctor if one has very intense pain, especially in the heel, which is indicative of a heel spur or there is numbness, tingling, swelling, or radiating pain or redness or bruising at the affected area.

4. How shall this condition be prevented?
This is prevented if one stops doing the activity that triggers the problem. Do not take a step in shoes that do not provide therapeutic support. One shall not be barefoot, not even in the shower, if you can avoid it. Do not get up hastily. Lose weight if one is over weight. Regularly changing training shoes used for running or walking is also helpful.