August 25, 2024
If you have that familiar pain and aching in the heel of your foot, you know it to be plantar fasciitis. You also know that it can feel like you have no options to relieve or get rid of that pain. When you’ve exhausted every known option, it can feel like there’s no hope.
But there is a way: chiropractic care. Chiropractors have been getting people back on their feet from plantar fasciitis for years. With effective, non-invasive treatments, chiropractic care may be the key to relieving your pain. Find out how a plantar fasciitis chiropractor can help you here!
What Is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar Fasciitis, is pain, irritation, and inflammation in the fascia (a large tendon that connects your foot to the muscles in your legs). The pain is typically located in the heel or bottom of your foot. Often described as a sharp pain in the affected area, the pain isn’t uncommon, with approximately two million patients receiving treatment a year.
Fasciitis can affect anyone for multiple reasons, but runners, women, and people aged 40 – 60 years old are the demographics most commonly affected.
What Does It Feel Like?
There are common symptoms for plantar fasciitis which occur around the heel or under the foot. Some of the most telling symptoms are:
- Pain in the bottom of the heel
- Pain in the arch of the foot
- Increase pain when getting up from sleeping or resting
- Swelling on the bottom of the heel
- Increased pain over a period of months
Occasionally, the pain may decrease after a short period of walking. This is due to walking actively stretching the fascia, but often the pain will return after spending a prolonged period standing upright.
What Causes Plantar Fasciitis?
Some instances of plantar fasciitis are developed over time, and others are from a short ramp-up time. There are a few causes of plantar fasciitis. The most common are:
- Excessive pronation (when your arch flattens from bearing too much weight)
- Being overweight or gaining weight quickly
- Poorly fitting shoes
- Activities that involve a large amount of impact, like running or dancing
- Changes in the plantar fascia due to age
How Does Chiropractic Help Plantar Fasciitis?
Chiropractic is an excellent tool for combating plantar fasciitis. Chiropractors are trained to be as conservative and noninvasive as possible to promote the healing of the cause rather than the method of treatment.
Adjustments
There are many ways chiropractic can help relieve symptoms once they’ve taken hold. The most widely used tool is chiropractic manipulation or manual adjustments. With adjustments, your chiropractor will manually move the spine and other joints to their proper places.
Cold Laser Therapy
Besides manual adjustments, chiropractic has evolved to incorporate different tools, such as low-level or cold laser therapy. With laser therapy, the practitioner uses a laser that fires low levels of energy into the affected area. These rays stimulate healing and allow you to recover faster than without.
The best results come from a chiropractor’s combined approach of exercise, mobilization, and chiropractic techniques. All are valid on their own, but real lasting results only come from a combined and sustained use of all the practices.
Benefits of Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic has been a specialty for years and has distinct benefits. The most prevalent is pain relief. Other practices may only target the symptom to provide pain relief, whereas chiropractic care is focused on the root of the issue instead.
Moreover, chiropractic is a holistic approach to treatment. The procedures are noninvasive, and there are no medications to impede healing. Chiropractic is singularly focused on the body repairing itself and treats the body as a whole unit instead of disconnected parts.
How Can I Prevent Plantar Fasciitis?
Fasciitis can sneak up on you, but there are ways to prevent it from getting the best of you. As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Look into the following steps to keep yourself mobile and avoid the effects of plantar fasciitis:
- Wear Well Fitting, Supportive Shoes
- Cushion the Heel
- Maintain a Healthy Weight
- Stretch Regularly
- Avoid Long Periods on Hard Surfaces
- Notice the Signs Early
Shoes are the first defense against any injury, but they have to be the proper size and type for the activity you do. Runners should wear something supportive and cushioning, while weightlifters should have something stable and flat. Wear the proper shoes and find a local shoe store if you need assistance with your selection.
You don’t need to walk around on your toes, but you don’t need to heel-stomp the ground with every stride, either. Find a balance in your gait to correctly and painlessly stay mobile. You can also look into shoe inserts as well to create a more supportive walking experience.
Whatever your size, maintaining a healthy weight for your lifestyle can drastically help prevent plantar fasciitis from taking root. Diet, exercise, and the willpower to do them are the best tools for staying healthy.
Runners don’t just stretch for show; stretching is an effective method of avoiding injuries like fasciitis. Moderate stretching before physical activity helps loosen the muscles and prepare them for activity. You can also stretch the fascia directly by rolling a ball or a bottle underneath your foot.
Hard surfaces like concrete, cement, and asphalt can be rough to walk on for prolonged periods. Try to avoid standing for too long on these surfaces, but if it’s unavoidable, look into shoes with more cushioning or inserts.
If you start to feel a burning sensation or pain in your heel, seek out a professional. An early diagnosis and treatment can be the difference between a few days of discomfort and many months of pain.
Need Help With Plantar Fasciitis?
When you feel that familiar ache and pain in your foot, take steps to relieve and prevent it from happening again! Visit our Clearwater, FL, to get walking with a pain-free stride! Contact us to schedule an appointment today!
About the Author: With over three decades of experience, Dr. Jere Jarrett is a highly educated and experienced chiropractor who serves Clearwater, FL, and the surrounding areas. He takes a “whole-body” approach to chiropractic care. Instead of treating symptoms, Dr. Jarrett looks for the underlying cause of pain and discomfort. Call 727-447-4647 to schedule an appointment!