You Asked: What ’s the Best Way to Treat Plantar Fasciitis?

Often described as a throbbing pain that strikes the meat of the heel and radiates outward, plantar fasciitis is one of the most common foot conditions in the U.S. Roughly 2 million Americans suffer from it, and it can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months at a stretch. In some cases, it can even be a chronic ailment. The plantar fascia is a fan-shaped band of connective tissue that runs along the underside of the foot, spanning the arch and attaching at the heel and between the bones of the toes. Plantar fasciitis results when that connective tissue is somehow injured or inflamed—a common occurrence among those who engage in “repetitive impact activities” like running, says Dr. Joan Williams, a foot and ankle surgeon at the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center. “People will start to notice some soreness in the heel after a run, but they tough it out and run through it,” she explains. That’s bad. “Inflammation and swelling and irritation of the plantar fascia cause the pain,” she says, and all of them tend to get worse if a person keeps training. Running can also cause microscopic tears in the plantar fascia. If those tears aren’t given enough time to heal, they can become painful, says Dr. James Gladstone, an associate professor of orthopedics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Gladstone says the foot’s connective tissues and muscles are in a constant state of breakdown and r...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Exercise/Fitness healthytime Source Type: news