The plantar fascia is a commonly aggravated or injured area. In this blog post my intent is to give you some tips to help you deal with it on your own. Not everyone will respond to just the things covered in this blog. If you find that you need more help with foot pain, we may be a fit for you. You can schedule a free intro phone call with your physical therapist at 425-202-5687.
What is a Plantar Fascia
The plantar fascia is named for exactly what it does. Like most people, we don't all know our Latin. So the plantar surface of your foot is the sole of your foot. A fascia is a fibrous tissue that covers muscles and/or organs. So with this quick intro, the Plantar Fascia is a fibrous tissue that is on the sole of your foot/feet.
We tend to injure our own plantar fascia when we increase high impact activity such as running and jumping. It can also be a response to a change in shoes like switching to sandals on vacation. Usually the plantar fascia becomes inflamed due to inactive muscles of the foot. There are muscles inside the sole of our foot that are responsible for moving our toes and supporting the arch of the foot. Often time adding strength and endurance to these muscles can help alleviate and prevent plantar fasciitis.
The best way to heal and prevent plantar fasciitis is to strengthen the foot muscles, and stretch the muscles of the back of the leg (posterior chain). The muscles to stretch include the hamstring and calf muscles.
Exercises for Foot Strength and Endurance
Strengthening the Intrinsic Muscles of the Foot
Strengthening the Muscles Around the Ankle
Stretches for Plantar Fasciits
If you find these helpful, share this post with your friends. If you would like more help for your foot pain and want to return to running or jumping email us at info@bodyfixpt.com.
Comments