HEEL THAT PAIN! 5 Step Action Plan
Do you wake up in the morning with a sharp pain in your heel? Does this pain slowly improve as you take more steps? You may be suffering from Plantar Fasciitis.
Plantar Fasciitis, also known as Plantar Heel Pain or Plantar Fasciopathy, is the most common condition that I see in the clinic. It is a soft tissue injury of the plantar fascia, a thick band of connective tissue on the bottom of your foot that helps to stabilise and support your foot when you walk, run and move.
The plantar fascia plays a vital role in allowing the foot to absorb shock when we land and provide us with a rigid lever and elastic energy when we push off.
When the plantar fascia is overloaded it can become inflamed, thickened and degenerate. This repetitive tension and load can cause microtears in the plantar fascia at the insertion of the heel. It can be mostly painful first thing in the morning or rising from sitting as the plantar fascia is at its shortest functional length at rest and pulls tight on the insertion of the heel when we stand. The pain can tend to improve once we have walked around for a short while as the plantar fascia becomes more elastic but returns with increased walking/load during the day.
Heel pain can be completely debilitating, it can stop you from exercising, walking without pain and just makes daily activities difficult. After all, we need our feet to carry us around everyday. Plantar fasciitis and the associated heel pain can last for months and even years if not well managed or allowed to heal properly. The plantar fascia is engaged with every step so it can be difficult to offload the heel to allow adequate healing.
With advancements in research our understanding of the treatment of Plantar Fasciitis has changed over the years. The term “Fasciitis” means inflammation but recent findings suggest that there is little to no inflammation present in the plantar fascia. This information is important as it has shaped the way we now manage the injury.
When managing Plantar Fasciitis our goal is to reduce load to the painful heel to encourage healing but still keep you moving. We want to get you back doing the things you love by providing solutions to slightly modify your activities to decrease pain while we work on building the capacity of the plantar fascia and the supporting structures. As we increase the strength & capacity of the plantar fascia we can start to increase your activity levels and intensity so that you can remain active and pain free.
Treating your heel pain needs to be tailored to your specific symptoms, level of injury and daily activities. Active Health will discover what the injury is, what factors have caused it, find solutions to get you pain free and discover how long it is going to take to get you there. You will be given a written management plan which will outline your roadmap to recovery and keep you on track to reaching your goals.
Active Health takes a holistic approach to treating your heel pain and considers other parts of the body that may be contributing to your injury. We are a multidisciplinary clinic that provides a combination of Physiotherapy, Podiatry and Exercise Physiology. Our therapists work together to identify the factors that have led to your heel pain and based on your assessment findings formalise a treatment plan that gives you the best chance of a full recovery. Our primary goal is to facilitate your journey in getting you back doing the things you love sooner.
The plantar fascia responds well if it is loaded in the right way at the right time. Our team of Podiatrists, Physiotherapists and Exercise Physiologists will work together to formulate a load management plan that keeps you active but still allows adequate time for healing.
We offer a number of the latest evidenced based treatments including custom stretching & strengthening programs, shockwave therapy, foot mobilisation techniques, flexible custom or pre-made orthotics, foot taping, dry needling, footwear modifications, padding and load modifications.
With so much information available on the internet it can be confusing to know where to start. That’s why I have personally designed a 5 Step Action Plan called Heel that Pain!. Based on the latest research and 18 years of clinical experience treating this condition you will receive a personalised 5 Step Action Plan that has been tailored from your assessment findings. Following this plan will give you the best chance of reducing your pain and returning to your active life sooner.
In this plan you will:
Finally discover the what is causing your heel pain (it may not be what you think)
Identify & set your goals for treatment
Receive the latest evidence based treatments
Learn self-management exercises to relieve your pain
Receive a personalised Action Plan based on your assessment findings
Leave with clarity and certainty about how you can be heel pain free
Put an end to your heel pain and make an appointment with our team at Active Health today!