Plantar Fasciitis - Causes and Natural Treatment Through Stretching and Exercise

When the arch of the tendon, the plantar fascia, becomes inflamed it is called plantar fasciitis. This is a trauma which may result from overuse and causes heel pain which can move throughout the foot. This condition is also known as a heel spur although the two conditions are not one and the same. A heel spur is a bony growth, while plantar fasciitis is the plantar fascia or arch tendon becoming thick from below the heel to the front of the foot, causing rupture, inflammation and pain.

Those who suffer from plantar fasciitis may experience heel pain that's felt under the heel area and on the inside of the bottom of the foot. If you play intense sports such as tennis and basketball where you are always moving or scuffling your feet, you are at high risk for plantar fasciitis. People with this condition generally feel the pain more in the morning. After walking about for a while the pain tends to subside.

The cause of plantar fasciitis is ordinarily a tight calf muscle. The tightened calf muscle may lead to an extended pronation or rotation of the foot. This produces a repetitive overstretching of the plantar fascia, which will then lead to swelling and thickening of the tendon. After thickening the fascia will lose flexibility and strength.

The most beneficial method of treating plantar fasciitis is to rest until you no longer experience pain. When you walk on an injured area such as the foot you perpetually re-injure it. This will keep the area inflamed. You will be able to take the stress off of the plantar fascia by taping in strips across the plantar fascia in order to help take the stress away from the area.

After you've taken the most significant step in addressing your plantar fascia, you should apply ice to the affected area. Through employing cold therapy, you are able to cut down both the pain you feel and the amount of inflammation which is present.

Next, you should try to stretch the plantar fascia, since it is when you stretch it that you're preventing the injury from coming back. When the tendon is not stretched out in the evening, you will feel pain the next morning. You'll be able to relax your plantar fascia while flexing it as you sit at your desk or on your couch watching TV.

Night splints may be worn during sleep to help keep the tendon flexed and stretched. You can also utilize footwear insoles to help keep the tendon stretched and flexible while you walk.

With appropriate attention to resting, stretching and increasing flexibility, you can experience far less pain as well as a healing of the inflammation of the tendon. As with other forms of tendonitis rest is the single most crucial component to healing, but oftentimes the most frequently ignored advice.