Feeling Severe Pain in Your Foot and Heel? It Could Be Plantar Fasciitis

Of the many ways in which you can develop foot pain, plantar fasciitis accounts for more than its fair share. Here’s a look at this common foot problem and how we can put that spring back in your step.

When you get out of bed in the morning, do you hobble around due to pain along the bottom of your foot (or feet) and in your heel?

This is the hallmark of a common condition called plantar fasciitis, which affects about 10% of the general population, usually active working adults ages 25-65.

At LaSante Health Center, we pride ourselves on offering a wide range of medical specialties under one roof, and that includes our podiatry department.

In this blog post, our foot health experts review the common symptoms of plantar fasciitis and why they occur, plus how we can bring you relief from the pain.

Behind plantar fasciitis

Your feet are incredibly complex, and between the two of them, they house nearly a quarter of the bones in your body.

Many of these small bones come together to create the arches in your feet, which are supported by a tough band of tissue that stretches from your heel to the base of your toes called the plantar fascia.

If you stress this tissue, tiny tears can develop that lead to inflammation and pain. Complications can also develop when you have plantar fasciitis in the form of bone spurs in your heels, which can exacerbate your symptoms.

Signs of plantar fasciitis

The primary side effect of plantar fasciitis is pain — along the soles of your feet and in your heels — and this pain can be very hard to ignore. The discomfort often flares after a long period of inactivity, such as when you sleep.

During this time, inflammation sets in and causes the plantar fascia to tighten. So when you take to your feet again and stand on the affected foot, the plantar fascia needs to stretch out, and it does so painfully.

In many cases, the plantar fasciitis pain goes away after you move around a little and the tissue begrudgingly stretches out. Those are the lucky ones. Some people with plantar fasciitis struggle with moderate to severe pain anytime they use the affected foot.

Who gets plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is a stress injury, so it should come as no surprise that it accounts for about 10% of running-related injuries. Runners often encounter plantar fasciitis if they change their routines by running longer distances or on uneven surfaces.

Aside from running and sports, plantar fasciitis is also more common in people who:

Are obese
Are pregnant
Work on their feet
Have flatfeet or high arches

Footwear can also place you at risk for plantar fasciitis, especially if you wear shoes that offer little to no support, such as flip-flops.

Getting relief from plantar fasciitis

If you suspect that plantar fasciitis is causing your foot and/or heel pain, we want you to come see us so that we can take a look. If we concur, we can get you on the road to relief through:

Targeted stretching exercises
Icing therapies
Medications, including a corticosteroid injection
Activity modification
Specialized shoe inserts and orthotics

The good news is that, in most cases, all it takes is patience and following our treatment recommendations to get you back to moving without pain. Far less commonly, surgery to release your plantar fascia might be necessary, but this is only after we’ve exhausted nonsurgical options.

For expert diagnosis and treatment of plantar fasciitis, please book an appointment online or call us at our Brooklyn, New York, office at 718-246-5700.

Our clinic welcomes patients from the Flatbush and East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Little Haiti, Little Caribbean, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens communities.