Getting Relief From Plantar Fasciitis

If you’re dealing with plantar fasciitis you know how frustrating it is. It might feel like you’ll never find relief and it won’t ever go away. You might be starting to dread taking walks or taking those first steps in the morning. You also might be looking at your shoes and trying to figure out which ones you are keeping and which ones you might never wear again. The good news is that you don’t have to live with it forever. Plantar fasciitis can, and will, get better. There are some things you can start doing today to start getting some relief, and in our follow up blog we’ll also talk about what you can do to get rid of it long term.

What Does Plantar Fasciitis Feel Like?

First of all, let’s make sure you actually have plantar fasciitis. We have a lot of people come into our clinic with what they think is plantar fasciitis and we’re able to help them determine that it’s actually some other condition.

Plantar fasciitis almost always is pain in the bottom of your heel and maybe a little into the arch of your foot. It is typically very painful with the first steps you take in the morning and then often starts to feel better and loosen up as you start to take more steps. It also is usually painful when you have been sitting for a while and then start to walk. It also probably starts to get painful and limits you when you try to walk for a long period of time.

If your pain isn’t in the bottom of your heel and isn’t painful when you take your first steps in the morning, chances are you are dealing with something that isn’t plantar fasciitis. There are a lot of muscles, ligaments and tendons in your foot that can cause similar pain. If you think you’re dealing with some other condition and now you don’t know where to start, that’s what we do! We help people understand what their pain is, why it happens and what to do about it. Just contact us and we’ll help you with a free phone consultation.

How to Treat Plantar Fasciitis at Home

If you do have plantar fasciitis, the good news is that there are a few things you can start doing this week to start getting some relief.

The first at home treatment you can try is doing some gentle massage before you first take your steps in the morning. This allows the plantar fascia to have a more gentle stretch and wake up than putting your whole body weight through it. Here is one of our Instagram posts on one of the best ways to massage your plantar fascia before you take any steps in the morning.

The second at home treatment you can try is freezing a water bottle and using that to massage the bottom of your foot when you are having pain. The frozen water bottle is a great way to both get some massage through your foot and you can also ice and calm down the irritation at the same time. Keep a couple of water bottles frozen and handy and you can use them a few times during the day.

Lastly, adding some cushion to your heel or your shoes is a great way as well. If you’ve been stuck with heel pain and not sure what to do about it, these are three great tips for some quick relief. For some longer term relief check back in for our follow up blog on how to fix the problem for good. To be able to walk longer distances without having as much pain, an over the counter cushioned insert is all that’s needed. Sometimes expensive custom orthotics are recommended, but we find that the simple, and cheaper, option often works just as well. A simple gel heel pad often gives our clients some immediate relief and some hope that they can walk longer distances.

If you’ve been struggling with heel pain and want to get rid of it faster, and for good, we’re here for you. We’ve helped hundreds of people with heel pain and get them back to walking, running, or any other activity they’ve wanted to get back to. We offer a free phone consultation with one of our experts to find out if you might be someone we can help as well. Just contact us here, text us “Heel Pain” to 202-922-7331 or email info@districtperformancephysio.com and we’ll be in touch soon.