Plantar Fascitis Program

Plantar fascitis is an inflammation of a tissue that supports the arch of your foot and provides rigidity for push off during walking. Four out of five adults will experience similar heel pain at some time in their lives. The natural history of this condition is that it spontaneously resolves in over 90% of patients. Unfortunately, this can take up to a year. With the following program, hopefully we can help minimize your symptoms and give you more control of the problem.

• Stretching: This is the mainstay of treatment. You cannot do it too often. You may find that a towel by your bedside for stretching before you get out of bed is helpful to minimize that painful first step.
• Ice massage: Take an ice cube and rub it over the sore area until it melts after prolonged weight bearing or exercise.
• Anti-inflammatories: You may take 2 Aleve or Naproxen twice daily or 3 Advil or Ibuprofen 3 times per day if it does not upset your stomach, you have kidney problems or you are on blood thinners. Take them regularly for 3-4 weeks then take a break and use them as needed.
• Heel lifts: These are used to take some stress off of the plantar fascia in your walking or exercise shoes. If they aggravate your pain, take them out.
• Exercise: You will not make your condition worse or permanently damage your foot if you exercise. Running is the highest impact activity for your feet and may prolong symptoms. Cross training with biking, elliptical trainers, and swimming is encouraged to limit the pounding on your feet and maintain your cardiovascular health and body weight.