The Second Most Common Sports Injury… Plantar Fasciitis

By Guest Author Dr. Scott Gray

Dr. Scott Gray is a globally acclaimed physical therapist specializing in non-invasive as well as conservative treatment of sport, athletic and spine injuries.

Do you have pain at the bottom of your foot when walking or running? Does it start out really painful and lessen as you move around?

If so, you may be suffering from planar fasciitis.

In this post, you’ll learn exactly what plantar fasciitis is, its symptoms, how to prevent it from happening, and….

What you can do to find plantar fasciitis relief.

What Exactly Is Plantar Fasciitis?

The plantar fascia is a small tissue on the bottom of your foot. It encases all tendons and helps to distribute forces across your foot when walking, running, etc.

However, when beginning a new workout or overtime as an athlete you can irritate this tissue on the sole of your foot. This leads to inflammation of the plantar fascia which turns into plantar fasciitis.

What Are Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis?

The symptoms vary from person- to- person but usually involve two common symptoms:

1. Pain At the Bottom Of Your Foot

As described earlier, the plantar fasciitis runs at the sole of your foot. When the bottom of your foot hurts, usually this is the condition causing you discomfort.

2. Pain Is Worst First Thing In the Morning….

Another symptom of plantar fasciitis is pain first thing in the morning when waking up or if sitting for prolonged periods of time. This usually then causes excruciating pain during your first few steps.

How to Get Plantar Fasciitis Relief

There are many different ways to get plantar fasciitis relief. Some better than others. Below are the three most common ways to get relief on the bottom of your foot…

1. Ice the Bottom Of Your Foot
2. Stretch Your Plantar Fascia
3. Consider Orthotics….

One of the best ways to get reduce irritation of the plantar fasciitis is to ice the plantar fascia. This is great because it reduces the inflammation but also reduces pain.

A simple and easy way to reduce your pain is to stretch the plantar facia. This works great because it is usually tight. If you do stretch it out it should it overtime.

Lastly, getting the appropriate arch support may be the best thing for your feet. If your foot is to high arched (supinated)  or has too little of an arch (pronated foot), the plantar fascia can take a beating. The end result being …. pain.

An orthotic helps realign your feet and support your arch and is one of the best ways to get better.

Click Here to get information on foot orthotics.

Read more of Dr. Gray's blog posts

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Here is our list of shoe recommendations for each foot type. If you would like more information about foot types, symptoms and recommendations, please visit our Patient Site nolaro24.com/patient/qspatient.html

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Are you an A QUAD?

The A QUAD Foot-Type is commonly thought of as an over-supinated or severe Pes Cavus foot, which means that the foot is rolling out too much. In layman’s terms if you have a very high arch or high instep you could have this foot-type. Other conditions that are associated with this foot-type are hammer toes and even bunions, this is because the toes tend to pull back or become clawed, particularly with age, and corns on the toes can develop from rubbing and pressure from footwear that doesn’t allow enough room for the hammer toes or doesn’t fit correctly. Because this foot tends to roll out more than it should someone with this foot-type is very prone to ankle sprains, and anyone with a history of ankle sprains is probably going to be either the A or C foot-type.

We fondly refer to this foot-type as our "chandelier shakers"! Why? Because this foot-type loads heavily on the ground and never seems to pronate (rolling in), leading to poor shock absorption. Even people with this foot-type who are very petite and don’t weigh much tend to sound very ‘heavy’ on their feet when walking and probably can’t sneak up on anyone easily. This foot type is too rigid and most people with this foot have difficulty adapting to uneven terrain – walking on cobble-stones or uneven surfaces is extremely difficult and uncomfortable.

Every step you take a step your feet have to work as shock-absorbers and a force equivalent to one and a half times your body weight goes pounding through your feet and then up the body if the feet don’t absorb that impact effectively. When you’re running it’s a force of about three times your body weight. Therefore, the development of heel and lower back pain is common because these feet aren’t able to absorb the impacts and forces associated with every step you take. Regarding gait style, the feet point relatively straight ahead during gait (no toe out) with a narrow base of support, putting one foot directly in front of the other as if walking on a tight rope.

All Quadrastep Orthotics are available in Regular and Narrow Widths, and with a topcover an an additional charge.

To find QUADRASTEPS orthotics in your area, try our FIND A PRACTITIONER tool!

For more information about the A Quad, visit www.nolaro24.com/patient/quadapatient.html.
To find a practitioner in your area, check our website www.nolaro24.com/patient/find.html.
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