Plantar Fasciitis Fasciopathy Treatment

Sharp and increasing pain that begins in your heel and radiates toward your foot arch may signal plantar fasciitis, also called plantar fasciopathy, a condition that affects the tough ligamentous band connecting your heel to your toes. The disorder may feel at first like you have a bruise or bone spur in your heel, but the pain will continue to worsen if ignored and left untreated.

Plantar fasciitis is an overuse syndrome, often seen among athletes, but also common in people who spend long hours standing or walking, especially on concrete. Non-supportive or ill-fitting footwear can contribute to plantar fasciitis pain. Being out of shape and carrying excess body weight may make the condition worse.

As with many overuse syndromes, plantar fasciitis symptoms often begin as a minor annoyance that gradually becomes more noticeable, and eventually debilitating.

Common symptoms include:

• Sharp or tender heel pain
• Pain that worsens after rest: Pain may be excruciating first thing in the morning, or after sitting for a prolonged time
• Pain that worsens after physical activity: Pain may subside during exercise, but return full-force, once your body cools down
• Pain when dorsiflexing the ankle (flexing toes towards shin)
• Tingling or burning in the affected foot

Plantar fasciitis occurs when the plantar fascia, a thick band of connective tissue that spans the bottom of your foot, becomes injured. Injury often occurs from repetitive overuse, where demands placed on the fibers of the plantar fascia exceed their capacity to withstand them. Micro-tears in the fascia or a full-blown rupture cause pain that worsens over time.

Some causes of plantar fasciitis include:

• Faulty walking or running gait mechanics
• Walking or standing for extended periods in non-supportive footwear
• Poor posture when standing or walking
• Worn or poorly fitting athletic shoes
• Overtraining during repetitive motion sports like running
• Weak intrinsic foot core muscles
• Unusually flat or unusually high arches
• Tight Achilles tendons
• Uneven leg length
• Poor physical conditioning/sedentary lifestyle
• Pregnancy

Diagnosis begins with a patient interview and health history review, followed by a physical exam. Because plantar fasciitis is relatively common, it is easy to overlook other less common potential causes of foot and heel pain. Accurate diagnosis is key to treatment and recovery.

At NYDNR, we use real time diagnostic ultrasonography to confirm diagnosis of plantar fasciitis, and rule out other possible causes of heel pain. Ultrasound enables us to see beneath the skin’s surface, with the foot and heel in motion, to get a real-time dynamic view of the structures of the foot and ankle in action.

If you are suffering plantar fasciitis pain in NYC, the foot pain specialists at NYDNRehab can help. We use innovative treatment methods and state-of-the-art technologies to accelerate healing and increase the strength and integrity of the plantar fascia, to reduce the risk of future injury.

• Extracorporeal shock wave therapy plantar fasciitis to stimulate cell regeneration in the plantar fascia
• Ultrasound-guided dry needling for plantar fasciitis to release myofascial trigger points
• Physical therapy for plantar fasciitis, to target the plantar fascia and associated joints, nerves, muscles and connective tissue
• Foot core training, to improve overall foot function and reduce the risk of injury
• Gait analysis/retraining, to correct faulty movement patterns that over-stress the plantar fascia

At NYDNR, we provide an individualized plantar fasciitis rehabilitation protocol for each patient, not a one-size-fits-all treatment plan. Contact NYDNR today, and get to the bottom of your foot pain, so you can get back to your active lifestyle.