The plantar fascia is a thick fibrous band located along the bottom of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. The plantar works with the Achilles tendon to store and return energy. By having these two muscles work together effectively, the plantar fascia stabilizes the inner forefoot creating a natural spring, eliminating impact stress.
Plantar fasciitis is sometimes confused with heel spur/stress fractures. They way you can tell the difference between a heel spur and stress fracture vs. plantar fasciitis, is that spurs and fractures feel better while you walk on your toes, while plantar fasciitis often feels more discomfort when you place your weight on your toes.
Some common causes of plantar fasciitis are:
- fallen arches
- repetitive activities
- wearing wrong shoes
Increasing blood flow to the injury will greatly help the muscle regenerate. It is important to remember that it takes a long time for the muscle to heal fully, even if you don’t feel pain. Along with increasing blood flow, performing deep tissue massage to the arch and the calf to aide in the blood flow and try your best to avoid corticosteroid injections, because that can rupture the plantar fascia and possibly damage the heel’s protective pad.