Treatment
Improvement may take longer than expected, especially if the condition has been present for a long time. During recovery, loss of excess weight, good shoes and sedentary activities all help the injury to heal. You should return to full activity gradually.
Rest: Use pain as your guide. If your foot is too painful, rest it.
Ice: Ice the sore area for 30-60 minutes several times a day to reduce the inflammation. Apply a plastic bag of crushed ice over a towel. You should also ice the sore area for 15 minutes after activity.
Medication
If you condition has developed recently, anti-inflammatory/ analgesic medication (in tablet form), coupled with heel pads may be all that is necessary to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. If no pain relief has occurred after two or three months, however, an injection of either cortisone and/ or local anaesthetic directly into the tender area may be considered.
Physiotherapy
The initial objective of physiotherapy (when needed) is to decrease the inflammation. Later, the small muscles of the foot can be strengthened to support the weakened plantar fascia.
Heed Pads
A heel pad of felt, sponge or a newer synthetic material can help to spread, equalize and absorb the shock as your heel lands, thus easing the pressure on the planter fascia.
Shoes
Poorly fitting shoes can cause plantar fasciitis. The best type of shoe to wear is a good running shoe (jogger/trainer) with excellent support. The shoe that fits best should be chosen. Experiment with your athletic shoes to find a pair that is comfortable and gives you fewer symptoms.
Orthoses
Orthoses are shoe inserts that Dr Pradeep Moonot may prescribe if necessary.
Taping
Taping your foot to maintain the arch may benefit some people as this can take some of the pressure off the plantar fascia.
Night Splints
These are plastic splints that keep the foot stretched and the ankle at right-angles when you are asleep. This maintains the tension in the plantar fascia and may help to alleviate some early morning symptoms during the first few steps of the day.
Surgery
Surgery is rarely required for plantar fasciitis. It would be considered treatment if the pain is still incapacitating after at least 12 months of treatment. When needed, surgery involves release of the plantar fascia and release of a small nerve.
Sports
Plantar fascia can be aggravated by all weight bearing sports. Any sport where the foot lands repeatedly, such as jogging or running can aggravate the problem. To maintain cardiovascular fitness, weight bearing sports can be temporarily replaced by non weight bearing sports (like swimming, cycling). Weight training can be used to maintain leg strength. When recovering from plantar fasciitis, return to sports activities slowly. If you have a lot of pain either during the activity or the following morning, you are doing too much.
Exercise
Stretches: Stand at arms’ length from a counter or table with your back knee locked and your front knee bent.
Slowly lean towards the table, pressing forward until a moderate stretch is felt in the calf muscles of your straight leg.
Hold 10 seconds.
Keeping both your heels on the floor, bend the knee of your straight leg until a moderate stretch is felt in your Achilles tendon. (Tendons attach muscles to bones; the Achilles tendon attaches the muscles of the calf to the heel bone).
Hold 10 seconds.
You should feel a moderate pull in your muscles and tendon, but no pain.
Change legs and stretch the other leg.
Repeat 10 times, 3 times a day.