Medical News

The first time I heard about plantar fasciitis and just what a terrible condition it is, was way back in the 1980’s when my grandfather was diagnosed with the condition. Even then I often wondered what caused plantar fasciitis and how it could be treated. In his case it was almost an occupational hazard. He had been working as a postman for 30 years and the stress of constantly being on his feet took caught up with him and the straining of his plantar fascia was the the end result of this.

So if you didn’t know already, one of the main causes of the condition is too much exercise and activity on your feet. I myself, suffered with plantar fasciitis for a number of years too. In my case it purely down to the amount of sports that I take part in. I’ve been a keen runner since my high school days and much like my grandfather the pressure on the heel area of my feet built up to the point where the pain was absolutely unbearable. When I visited the doctor I was also told about ill fitting shoes can cause plantar fasciitis and I believe this was part of the problem I had too. Those fancy running shoes looked great in the store and were on sale. Who would have thought buying a half size bigger than I needed would cause me such pain in my feet.

Too much exercise and badly fitting shoes are two of the most common causes of plantar fasciitis and unfortunately both myself and family members have found this out the hard way. It has nothing to do with the condition being hereditary. I did toy with the idea however before I accepted that I was almost 100% responsible for having plantar fasciitis! In my case I went to see the doctor fairly early on and was able to treat the condition quite promptly. The pain in the morning was getting too much for me too bear and I had to do something about it.

The pain is always worse in the morning because the ligament in your foot seizes up when your sleeping. The first thing the doctor recommended to me was to introduce some light stretches into my day especially when I wake up. This will loosen off the plantar fascia ligament and make the day a little easier. Exercises can help to reduce the pain caused by the condition. I was also referred to plantar fasciitis night splints to help to ease the pain the morning when I wake up. The idea with this treatment is that the plantar fascia is stretched while you’re sleeping. I found a great deal of success with this. Finally, I had to limit my activities on my feet and always make sure that I wore shoes that fit properly and give proper protection and support to the heel.