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Do you suffer from heel pain?

by Specialized Orthopedics August 22, 2016

Plantar heel pain or plantar fasciitis is one of the most common conditions seen in Americans today. There are over 2 million new cases documented each year. It can be a very debilitating injury and occurs in all ages, athletes, non-athletes and both males and females.

Plantar Fasciitis & Heel PainWhat is Plantar fasciitis?

The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue that attaches from the bottom of your heel along your arch to the base of your toes. Inflammation or even tearing of this tissue will cause that agonizing pain in your heel or arch. Sometimes patients diagnosed with this condition will have bone spurs which may or may not contribute to the inflammatory response.

Why do I have plantar fasciitis or heel pain?

This condition commonly occurs in patients who may have flat feet, low arches, who recently increased their walking/running activities, prolonged standing, abnormal gait or running mechanics, those who are overweight, or having a lack of flexibility in calf musculature and weak toe flexors. Wearing poor shoe-ware such as flip flops, flats or heels can also contribute to likelihood of getting plantar fasciitis.

If you are having heel pain, don’t wait until it is so bad you can no longer walk. Most likely it will not heal on its own. At Specialized Orthopedic Physical Therapy, we will evaluate your foot structure, look at your shoes, analyze your gait mechanics, and take a look at flexibility and strength from your hip down to your foot to determine the best treatment plan.

You will be provided with an individualized home exercise program. Some of these exercises may include calf stretching, self-trigger-point release techniques and arch strengthening. We can use modalities to reduce your pain, taping to stabilize your arch and manual therapy to improve both tissue and joint mobility. We will also fix your gait and running mechanics to prevent this from happening in the future. Call us today so you can eliminate that awful agonizing heel pain and return to your daily and recreational activities pain-free!

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