Dr. Brandy Victory, Nederland. If you’ve been dealing with heel pain, you may have plantar fasciitis. Also known as heel pain syndrome. It’s the most common cause of heel pain, resulting from sudden trauma, or a gradual degeneration of the plantar fascia, a band of deep tissue that runs from your heel bone to your toes. Inflammation and irritation in this area can lead to pain. Since there’s not a strong blood supply to the fascia, it takes a long time to heal, and usually requires consistent at-home care.

Patients often describe the sensation as sharp stabbing or deep aching pain in the middle of the heel, or along the bottom of the foot, that typically occurs during walking or standing.  Many of my patients say pain is worse in the morning, or after other long periods of sitting or non-activity. 

At night, the foot naturally tightens, and the fascia may gain new tears in the morning, initiating a painful cycle. Appearing in one heel or both, the condition tends to be chronic and difficult to heal without a combination of conservative treatments and persistence.

Causes of plantar fasciitis:

It’s often caused by overuse, being overweight or abnormal foot mechanics. It can also be caused by poor footwear choices and prolonged standing. Some of the things I look for in my patients are high arches, flat feet, over-pronation and other bio-mechanical imbalances, especially in the feet, ankles, knees and hips. These types of things can be corrected with chiropractic care and custom fit orthotics.  

Check your shoe heels right now and see if they’re being worn on the outside faster than the inside or see if there’s a difference in how the left wears versus the right. This is an indication that you’re out of alignment and your body is working harder than it has to to get you from A to B, and when you have an imbalance in your body of this nature you are setting yourself up for injury.  

I can’t tell you how many times I hear a back pain was caused by picking up a newspaper!  It certainly wasn’t the newspaper, it was the misalignment that your body has been trying to handle, and putting undue stress on areas that are not meant to take that kind of stress, hence, injury.

How to help heel pain:

Please note that bone spurs are not the cause of plantar fasciitis. Surgery will not eliminate the pain but may weaken or even rupture the plantar fascia! There are a few other things you can do that can be helpful. 

 Stretch your legs and feet. I’d recommend doing this at least twice a day if you really want to see results. Stretch your hamstrings and calves especially. Put a golf ball under your desk and roll your foot over it as much as possible. This helps break up adhesions and loosens the fascia.  

Ice your feet. When you’re resting, place an ice pack on the bottom of your foot for 20 minutes. Use a towel between your skin and the ice. This reduces inflammation which can help the pain.

Wear proper shoes. Too often, people buy shoes that don’t fit and lead to abnormal biomechanics. I personally go to Boulder Running Company to buy my shoes. Even if you’re not a runner, the staff will fit you properly. Get on the treadmill and let them video your gait to see if the shoes you’re choosing are keeping your feet in proper alignment. So helpful!

Get custom fit orthotics. This is the best. Yes, you can buy inserts off the shelf, and, if it’s not made for your body you may find it causes more harm than good.  Your health and wellbeing is worth spending the extra money on what’s going to work for you, otherwise it is a waste.  

There are specific foot exercises that I give my patients when they present with pain, and I really enjoy casting their feet for a custom fit orthotic!  If you are curious about getting yourself a pair, we have a special running through August. Get your second pair half off!  And we even make custom flip flops to top it off.  

*See your doctor if you have persistent pain. This is for educational purposes only.

(Originally published in the August 8, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)