Dealing With Plantar Fasciitis

Has the following scenario ever happened to you? You wake up, take your first steps out of bed, and immediately begin to experience shooting pain in your heel. This is probably not the way you intended to start the day. Chances are, you are dealing with a condition known as plantar fasciitis. At Movement Concepts Physical Therapy, our team is here to help put a stop to this pain! By coming in for Garden City physical therapy, you will be able to get back to being pain-free.

The Causes of Plantar Fasciitis:

Your plantar fascia is a thick, flat band of tissue that connects your heel bone to your toes. When this band becomes inflamed, it can cause a large amount of pain and is known as plantar fasciitis. Due to the pain associated with this condition, it can become extremely difficult to complete mundane, everyday tasks. By knowing some of the common causes of plantar fasciitis, you can take steps towards avoiding them when applicable. Our staff at Movement Concepts Physical Therapy knows this, which is why we’d like to share some of them with you:

• Having flat or high arches.
• Wearing high heels too often.
• Spending too much time standing or on your feet.
• Wearing worn-out shoes with thin heels.
• Being overweight.

Prevention Methods:

Now that we have shared some common causes of plantar fasciitis, we’d also like to offer some methods of prevention. Scheduling an appointment for Garden City physical therapy is always an option, but ideally, we want to help our patients try to avoid plantar fasciitis all together. For proper prevention, you can give the following a try:

• Lose weight to avoid the extra pressure being placed on your feet.
• Avoid high impact activities such as running if you’ve been experiencing pain.
• Wear well-fitting shoes that offer proper support to your feet.
• Never go barefoot on hard surfaces.

Treatment With Garden City Physical Therapy:

When prevention methods alone are not enough to manage your plantar fasciitis, it may be time for a physical therapy session. The main goal of our physical therapist is to reduce pain, increase strength, and improve range of motion in all of our patients after suffering an injury. During your appointment, you will learn a variety of strength and flexibility based exercises that can relieve pressure and reduce inflammation in your foot. Below are some of the best stretches and exercises for managing plantar fasciitis that you may learn at your first appointment: 

1. Toe stretches.
2. Seated hamstring stretches.
3. Towel curls.
4. Marble pick-ups.   

Plantar Fasciitis can be a debilitating injury, but it does not need to be a long-lasting one.  At Movement Concept Physical Therapy, we have the treatment and prevention methods that can work for you. To schedule your first Garden city physical therapy session, make sure to contact us today!