Plantar Fasciitis? Physical Therapy Offers the Answer

Plantar fasciitis is a condition that affects about 1 in 10 people in the United States. But even with how common this condition is, there are plenty of common misconceptions about it. Is it hereditary? Is it caused by being flatfooted? What is the best way to resolve it?  

I’m Dr. Nick Trameri, a physical therapist at Full Potential Physical Therapy in Holland, Michigan. Plantar fasciitis is a condition I treat frequently, and I often see patients whose lives are significantly impacted by the pain it can cause. Today, I want to give you some answers about this frequently misunderstood condition.

What Is Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is a term for pain in the plantar fascia, which is an expansive connective tissue located on the bottom of the foot that spans from the heel to the toe. It aids in stability and control of the foot and helps absorb the impact of our weight bearing movements. 

Contrary to popular belief, plantar fasciitis is not directly caused by being flatfooted, having too high of an arch, or any condition that you can inherit. New research is showing that inflammation is also likely not the direct cause of this condition. I think it could be helpful to describe the condition instead as plantar fasciopathy, or simply plantar heel pain. 

Activities like standing, walking, and running increase the tension and load in the plantar fascia. Activities that involve a) the extension of the big toe, such as the “push off” phase in walking, and b) the loading of the Achilles tendon, such as jumping stairs and weightbearing in general, can all affect the plantar fascia. 

What Causes Plantar Fasciitis?

There are millions of people affected by plantar fasciitis each year. Anyone who does any level of walking, standing or running is someone who could potentially develop this condition. With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at what is involved in these movements. 

When you walk, stand and run, the muscles in your foot and lower leg are doing a significant portion of the work. These muscles play major roles in controlling stability, movement, and in generating, accepting and dispersing force. Plantar fasciitis commonly stems from muscle imbalances, weakness, or stress. 

In addition to muscle deficiencies, the foot’s arches can also be a factor. The arches in your foot help distribute weight and absorb shock during weight bearing activities. The medial longitudinal arch, lateral longitudinal arch, and transverse arch act as natural shock absorbers and reduce the impact forces on the feet and the rest of the body.

Anyone Can Develop Plantar Fasciitis

In one day, the average person’s foot absorbs roughly the same amount of weight borne by a fully loaded cement truck. An active individual such as a runner could be putting nearly twice as much impact as that on their feet in a day. With all of this force, the foot and the lower leg need to be adequately prepared or conditions like plantar fasciitis could occur. 

Younger and more active individuals, such as runners or athletes, are likely to develop plantar fasciitis due to the increased level of demands on the muscles in their feet and lower legs. But even if you are not an athlete, your foot still needs to be prepared to properly support and withstand impact. 

Older and more sedentary adults can often develop this condition as well, particularly adults who maintain a higher body mass index. Others likely to experience plantar fasciitis are those who are on their feet for many hours a day in environments with hard floors, such as factory workers, teachers, or nurses. 

Physical Therapy Can Address the Causes of Plantar Fasciitis to Help You Find Relief

So, when this heel or foot pain arises, what do we do? For many years, aggressive soft tissue work was believed to relieve the tension or pain. Because of the dense nature of the plantar fascia, it would take much greater force to manipulate than what we can generate by our hands or tools. 

Thankfully, that much force is not needed to help resolve it. Physical therapy is perhaps the most effective way to resolve plantar fasciitis because the root cause of plantar fasciitis is stress to that band of tissue and the surrounding areas. Addressing the reasons for that stress and better allowing us to tolerate that stress is going to be the most effective plan. 

The pain associated with plantar fasciitis relates back to an inability of these tissues to tolerate the stress and load. That ultimately could be from weakness, imbalances, or tightness in the foot and lower leg. A physical therapist is going to be the ideal provider to identify this problem as they’re experts in evaluating, implementing, and educating while providing treatment and exercise to benefit the musculoskeletal system. Just as important, a physical therapist can also help with workload management, assist in finding the right footwear, and determine if there is a need for orthotics. 

Reach Out to Full Potential PT for Personalized Support

At Full Potential Physical Therapy, we’re dedicated not only to helping you resolve your plantar fasciitis pain, but also to giving you the tools and education you need to prevent that pain from returning. You can leave your program with confidence knowing that you have the tools to treat any future plantar fasciitis flareups independently. 

So don’t wait until your pain worsens. Getting started is easy. Just give our office a call at (616) 537-2837. You can also request a free consultation through our website. We would love to help you get rid of your foot pain and get back to your life.

About Nick

Nick received his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Hillsdale College in 2018, and earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) from Western Michigan University in 2021. Nick has practiced in a variety of settings including Inpatient Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Facilities. Nick has a passion for helping patients and focuses on their success by creating individualized programs that get results. In doing so, he empowers his patients to pursue their passions and live life to the fullest. Nick was born and raised in Holland, Michigan. He loves spending his time outdoors with his dog and his friends, appreciating all that Western Michigan has to offer.