Effective Plantar Fasciitis Exercises

By: Teddy Stevennson Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Plantar fasciitis comes about when the plantar fascia is strained as a result of increased or over activity, poor foot biomechanics or in combined with the usual aging process. The aim of the plantar fascia is to act as a shock absorber and hold the arch of the foot. The ligament is normally strained repeatedly before any pain is obvious. The pain is caused by continual microscopic tears occurring in the plantar fascia, usually where it attaches to the heel itself.

This leads to swelling, heel pain, and possible visible bruising where the plantar fascia joins the heel. The pain is most often felt at the bottom of the heel, normally on the inside of the heel, but may also occur in the arch of the foot itself or further forward closer to the ball of the foot.

Stretching plays an important part in recovery from plantar fasciitis. Practising routine, periodic stretching and strengthening exercises on the ligament, back of the foot and muscles of the lower leg, normally reduces the tension in the damaged ligament and assists the healing. It is not uncommon to see people suffering from plantar fasciitis with decreased range of ankle movement and tight calf muscles. Loosening up these areas cuts down the opportunity of suffering plantar fasciitis in the future.

A recent study noted more than 80 percent of those suffering from plantar fasciitis noted that stretching aided their recovery and over 25 per cent. believed that their flexibility regimes were the best treatment they used.

Its best to do stretching gently and often. Patients should be sure to start their stretching very slowly and carefully at first because overstretching at first during the initial stages of treatment can tear the plantar fascia and set you back in your recovery process. Slow and steady is the best approach to stretching and best results are produced by a 'little and frequent' attitude. Patients should stretch at least two times a day (preferably more frequently) rather than diving into one long, over enthusiastic stretching session on once in a while basis.

To avoid the risk of re-injury, you must follow a planned stretching plan that has been designed to add extra activity and force slowly as the ligament rebuilds.

Early diagnosing and a mapped out treatment system are crucial for healing plantar fasciitis. If treatment is held up or inadequate in the early stages of plantar fasciitis, plantar fasciitis can take nearly eighteen months or more to be fully treated. Nevertheless by following a suitably mapped out plan of treatment and mixing many of the individual treatments available, luckily in the vast majority of reported cases, non-invasive treatment is enough to cure the condition. Only in the worst cases is plantar fasciitis surgery needed.

It can take several months for symptoms to vanish and the plantar fascia to be completely healed. Remember that a torn ligament (even microscopic tears) only happens after persistent and long-term stress and to fix this, long-term treatment is necessary. Further, the longer the patient has had plantar fasciitis and the worse the heel pain, the longer the treatment will take.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Teddy Stevennson has more than 30 years experience of plantar fasciitis treatment. For a comprehensive review of plantar fasciitis treatments including plantar fasciitis night splints, shoes and exercises visit www.Plantar-FasciitisTreatment.com.