The plantar fascia is a tendon that acts as an extension from your Achilles.  It creates the arch in the bottom foot and it acts as a shock absorber every time you walk, run and jump. When you have irritation to this area, you often feel sharp pain where it attaches to the heel.  It is often noticed first thing in the morning, when you try to walk after sitting for an extended period of time or during and/or immediately after a workout.  It can be very painful to walk initially but typically eases up as you get moving and the tissue stretch/warms up.  

 It is typically an overuse issue caused by an imbalance in the ankle foot and can sometimes linger around if you also have imbalances in the hips.  It usually starts as an inflamed tendon but if not addressed immediately, micro tearing can start to occur, making it more of a degenerative condition.  Because tendons are less vascular than muscles, it can be a very slow healing process, meaning less nutrient delivery from blood flow compared to highly vascularized muscle tissue. Our bodies our constantly regenerating themselves which is how our bodies heal when we break bones or cut ourselves.  

Regeneration of the tendonous tissue is possible, however it typically is a longer process that involves a lot of patience and consistency.  People often are not patient enough and have a hard time gauging what exercises are okay to do and what exercises are harmful.  It can be challenging to find the optimal load/stress to promote healthy tissue formation without over stressing/irritating it and making things worse. Often, people are doing too much and further irritating the tissue and preventing it from healing.  

 Also, we tend to get tunnel vision and focus so much on treating the painful area and focusing on the pain.  The cause of Plantar Fasciitis often times is a result of a dysfunction in the ankle and the foot and treating these areas will resolve your issue. However, it can also be an issue from a dysfunction occurring higher up the kinetic chain aka the hips. So, if you have been trying every ankle/foot exercise and stretch and it still not improving, consider looking elsewhere. 

If your issue isn’t healing, there is likely something missing in your regimen.  A Physical Therapist can perform a whole-body movement assessment and identify dysfunctional movement patterns that may be causing/contributing to your foot pain.  Contact us if you need help “heeling” this issue. In the mean time, check out some of my favorite exercises below that can help “heel” your plantar fasciitis.

Yours Truly,

Savannah Torrez, PT, DPT, COMT

“If what you’re doing isn’t working, change it!”