Plantar fasciitis is described as an inflammation of the plantar fascia, the broad tissue which stretches from the base of the heel bone to the forefoot. This inflammation is caused by excessive stretching of the tissue and this leads to pain in the heel. It could also lead to a heel spur, which is a bony protrusion in the heel bone due to calcium deposits. This excessive stretching happens due to poor foot biomechanics, which in turn are caused by a weakening of the muscles of the foot. The most common cause of plantar fasciitis is over pronation of the foot. This is a condition when the foot rolls inwards excessively at the ankle joint. We’ll talk more on that later.

If you have Plantar fasciitis, you are likely to feel a stabbing pain in the heel, usually as soon as you get off the bed in the morning or after a long period of rest because the plantar fascia contracts to its original shape. As you start walking again, the tissue stretches and this causes pain. As the day progresses and the plantar fascia continues to get stretched, the pain often subsides. The pain is caused mainly after rest! 

Offloading the heel is of crucial importance in treating plantar fasciitis. And so is controlling excessive pronation or supination (outward rolling) of the foot, as the case may be.

As we said before, plantar fasciitis is mainly caused due to excessive pronation of the foot. To be precise, it is caused when the calcaneus in the hind foot is stable but the forefoot is over-pronating. Thus the plantar fascia is repeatedly over-torqued, causing inflammation in the tissue. When the plantar fascia is repeatedly being stretched away from the heel bone, the calcaneus will eventually grow towards the plantar fascia in an attempt to re-attach itself. This bony growth is called heel spur. Similarly, plantar fasciitis is some cases is also caused by over supination as the foot rolling excessively outwards causes the plantar fascia to stretch.

Plantar fasciitis can be treated with Podiapro’s orthotic insoles by correcting foot mechanics. These insoles are rigid so that the plantar fascia is prevented from excessive stretching and the foot arch is dynamically held up. The patient can expect a complete recovery within 2 to 3 months.