Home Treatments And Medical Procedures That Provide Plantar Fasciitis Relief
Plantar fasciitis is a fairly common foot condition that can cause pain for weeks at a time. If you have heel pain and tightness, you might have plantar fasciitis. See a podiatrist for a diagnosis and recommendations for treatment.
Here are some ways to get plantar fasciitis relief with home treatments and medical procedures.
Stretching
Plantar fasciitis causes pain because the tissues in your feet are inflamed and stiff. They get this way due to tiny injuries from overuse or not wearing the right shoes. You may find your pain goes away when you sleep at night only to be much worse when you get out of bed and start walking.
Stretching exercises can sometimes help. You might do these as soon as you wake up and throughout the day when your feet feel painful and tight again. Once you start moving, the pain usually gets better. Your podiatrist might suggest wearing splints or sleeping boots at night that hold your feet in a stretched position so you can avoid the worst pain of the day when you first get out of bed.
You may need to go to physical therapy to learn the proper technique for doing stretching and strengthening exercises on your feet.
Foot Soaks
Heat sometimes helps with pain, so you may enjoy soaking your feet in hot water. A full-body soak can relax you too and take your mind off of the pain. One thing to keep in mind is that heat increases circulation in your feet. This is good because it helps tissues heal faster, but it also may cause inflammation, which isn't so good.
Your podiatrist may recommend you alternate dipping your feet in cold and hot water. The hot water may feel good and increase circulation, and then when you switch to cold water, the cold temperature can help reduce inflammation.
Medical Treatments
It can take plantar fasciitis weeks to go away since your tissues need to heal for the pain and stiffness to stop. If your feet don't start to get better in several days, or if you need to train and need quick healing, get a treatment from your podiatrist if your podiatrist agrees that medical treatments are needed.
You might have shockwave treatments, platelet-rich plasma injections, corticosteroid injections, or custom orthotics made to provide plantar fasciitis relief and help you heal faster. Surgery isn't usually needed for plantar fasciitis, but it's an option if your feet won't heal. Your podiatrist will recommend the best treatment depending on your condition and lifestyle so you can get back to being active and walking without pain.
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