Plantar fasciitis is an umbrella term for ‘foot pain’. It is called this because the soft tissue on the arch of your foot is called the ‘plantar fascia’. This becomes irritated and possibly inflamed hence the ‘itis’ part. Generally, anything that becomes inflamed or swollen is given the ending ‘itis’.
There are different causes of plantar fasciitis including overuse, running on hard surfaces and poor biomechanics, but whatever the cause the result is pain! This can be intense or even debilitating pain in the arch or heel of your foot. The pain tends to be at its worst first thing in the morning and people often describe those first steps to the bathroom in the morning as agony. The pain generally lessens after 30 – 45 minutes of activity then intensifies again 2-3 hours later especially if you do too much.
Plantar fasciitis can often be chronic – that is last for a long time and left untreated bad cases can go on for years.
My approach to plantar fasciitis is to look at and treat the soft tissues in the foot and try to identify potential causes – being a foot reflexologist makes me well placed to deal with pain issues in this area and I have good success treating this condition.
“I had been suffering with plantar fasciitis for several months and it had become agony. After sports massage failed, I was at my wits end. Then I discovered Caroline and I can honestly say my plantar fasciitis is 100% better now. Caroline is a true healer. She takes great delight in learning everything she can to problem solve and heal complicated physical issues that you bring to her”. Jo Hatherley, Fleet, Hampshire
“I saw Caroline to try and see if it would help with my plantar fasciitis. Caroline put me at ease and explained the process. The treatment was always thorough and not rushed. The treatment released the tension in my foot where the plantar fasciitis hurt the most and completely resolved the problem over a course of treatments. I no longer suffer with the plantar fasciitis and I would definitely recommend Caroline.” Jo Cartlidge, Fleet, Hampshire
The plantar fascia is just part of an incredibly complex arrangement of muscles and joints that comprise the arches of our feet. A large proportion of the job of maintaining this arch goes to a muscle called the tibialis anterior which runs down the front of the shin and the peroneal muscles which run down the outside of the lower leg. Both these muscles attach to the bones inside the arch giving considerable support to it. The third muscle I treat is the tibialis posterior on the back of the shin – this muscle also helps support to the arch. If any of these three muscles are compromised in their ability to function, then the foot arch muscles become irritated putting stress on the attachments- particularly the heel. Which is where most people feel the pain.
When you come for treatment I will consider and treat all these muscles and other factors that relate to your pain. I will also give you recommendations for self-care in between treatments to aid the healing.
