Plantar fasciitis can be very painful, and can interfere with participating in sports, especially running. Running can put great stress on your body whether you are a morning jogger, a marathoner, or somewhere in between. Stretching, strengthening and cross training are all helpful in maintaining the muscles involved in running, but sometimes you need more.
When you develop pain in your heel or along the bottom of your foot, you may be experiencing plantar fasciitis, with inflammation of the fascia, a thick connective band of tissue that attaches to the heel, runs the length of the foot, and attaches at the other end to the ball of your foot. Very often, with this condition you will experience a searing pain along the bottom of your foot or localized in your heel, especially in the morning when you first get out of bed and put your feet on the floor.
The pain caused by plantar fasciitis can feel hot and/or prickly, and it may seem as though you have barbed wire or pebbles underneath the surface of your skin. Walking and massage can ease the pain, but may not provide permanent relief. Here are some suggestions of other things you can do to make the condition tolerable, such as:
• Wear an arch support. Plantar fasciitis is found more often in people with fallen arches or flat feet, which tends to stretch out the fascia more. An arch support can take the tension off the fascia, relieving pressure and leading to less pain.
• If you are a runner, run on soft ground (think your local park or dirt track at a nearby high school or college campus) rather than sidewalks or asphalt. Running on hard ground will irritate this condition.
• Decrease your running distance temporarily, or take a day off in between runs. Take some of the demand off your plantar fascia if one or both are giving you trouble. This will keep from irritating these tender tissue bands any further.
• Seek chiropractic treatment. Regular chiropractic care can help give you relief from the pain of plantar fasciitis, helping you run longer and more efficiently.
• Acupuncture. This traditional medical practice has shown great results for those experiencing foot pain due to plantar fasciitis.
• Rest. Rest is required for proper recovery. If you start working out or running on tissue that needs time to heal, you are delaying the day when you can once again fully participate in your sport pain free.
If you or a loved one have been suffering from the pain of plantar fasciitis and would like to get relief and return to participating in your favorite sport, you can find help with experienced, skilled sports injury doctors who offer various techniques to treat injuries by calling the experts at Springs Chiropractic. We offer individualized assessment and treatment at our North Colorado Springs location at (719) 531-7188, located at 1802 Chapel Hills Drive, Suite E, Colorado Springs, CO 80920, or our South location at (719) 527-6747, located at 2620 Tenderfoot Hill, Suite #10, Colorado Springs, CO 80906. Give us a call today and get relief from the troubling pain of plantar fasciitis.