06
October
2020
|
09:12 AM
America/New_York

What Is Plantar Fasciitis? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

Everyday Health discusses what to know about the causes, diagnosis and treatment of plantar fasciitis according to HSS physiatrist Kristina Marie Quirolgico, MD and others.

The duration and recovery of plantar fasciitis ultimately depends on how quickly people get help and adhere to treatment recommendations. In rare cases, people with heel pain have actually torn or ruptured their plantar fascia. However, the treatment isn’t too different from plantar fasciitis. “It just requires a little more offloading to allow the plantar fascia to heal. So no running,” explained Dr. Quirolgico. Stress fractures in the heel bone can sometimes be mistaken for plantar fasciitis. “I see that more in runners who increase their activity over a short period of time,” said Dr. Quirolgico. It typically takes 6-8 weeks for a stress fracture to heal, but that varies depending on its severity.

According to Dr. Quirolgico the runner’s stretch is an effective calf stretch to help prevent plantar fasciitis from coming back. She also recommended rolling the foot over a frozen water bottle to ice and massage the plantar fascia at the same time. “Having that icing component helps decrease inflammation locally in some patients,” she cited.

Another option to help you recover is to wear a dorsal night splint. A dorsal night splint keeps your ankle propped up, stretching out the plantar fascia while you sleep. “But some patients don’t like wearing anything on their feet at night, so they end up taking it off,” noted Dr. Quirolgico. For those patients, she suggested wearing the splint for a couple of hours in the evening. “It functions in the same way as doing calf stretches,” she added. In addition to conventional care methods, acupuncture, may also be a safe and effective treatment option for plantar fasciitis, so long as the treatment is performed by a qualified practitioner. “Acupuncture is low risk and many patients get pain relief from it,” said Dr. Quirolgico. However, some patients don’t respond to acupuncture. “In that case I tell patients not to continue if it’s not helping them,” she added.

Read the full article at Everydayhealth.com.