Plantar fasciitis - a pain under the heel
Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition which is caused by inflammation of the soft tissue at the bottom of the foot, known as the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia connects the heel bone to the toes and supports the arch of the foot as well as acting as a shock absorber. Plantar fasciitis feels like a sharp, stabbing or a burning sensation at the back of the arch of the foot, or under the heel, especially after rest. Most people feel it keenly after a nights sleep and after a long period of inactivity, such as office work. After moving around for a few minutes the pain usually disappears but only to return after the next rest. Membranes (or fascia) surround every muscle fibre in the body and are even tougher and thicker at the bottom of the foot - when these get damaged or slightly torn the body tries to heal the area when you are off your feet. The pain is felt after periods of rest because returning to your feet can pull on the fascia and re-tear the damaged area. Your body gets used to this stress and so the pain disappears after a few minutes - but the damage to the bottom of the foot is still there!
What causes plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis afflicts people people who are on their feet a lot of the time and used to be known as ‘policemans heel’ - this is because policemen who ‘walked the beat’ were said to be commonly affected with the condition. Those who do a lot of walking, running and standing when not used to it can be prone to plantar fasciitis as well as those who lead a more sedentary lifestyle. Other common causes are:
Long distance running, especially running down hill or over uneven surfaces.
Obesity or sudden weight gain as this can put extra strain on the heel.
Wearing shoes with poor cushioning or poor support for the arch of the foot.
Overuse or sudden stretching of the sole - this could be from using starting blocks in athletics or simply increasing the intensity of training.
Having a tight achilles tendon - this is the tendon which runs from the calf to the back of the heel, if this is particularly tight then it can affect your ability to flex the ankle meaning damage to the plantar fascia is more likely.
Massage therapy and plantar fasciitis
Prevention of the condition is better than curing, therefore by regularly changing your training shoes for running as well as making sure the shoe has good cushioning and support will go a long way to help prevent plantar fasciitis. Avoid training on hard surfaces, lose weight if needed as well as stretching the plantar fascia and achilles tendon before exercise, are also good prevention methods.
Plantar fasciitis will heal with time but the recovery process is quite slow - massage therapy can really benefit the healing of the tissue and speed up the recovery time. Before treating a client with this condition I will ask them to walk a few metres for me to assess the gait, and occasionally check their training shoes. Deep tissue massage which is highly targeted can help by both relaxing and lengthening the muscles of the calves as well as working directly on the sole of the foot as well. The massage can be quite deep but is highly beneficial in helping to retrain your legs and feet to retain a relaxed state. It is important to work all the way up the calf muscles so that they are relaxed enabling easier manipulation of the plantar fascia itself.
Deep tissue massage of the lower legs will also help release muscle and joint tension, alleviate pain, breaks up any scar tissue, improve flexibility and will reduce the risk of further injury.
Timo Massage Therapy
Monday, 11 March 2013
