Plantar Fasciitis (PF) is a common diagnosis for foot and/or heel pain. The plantar fascia is a thin band of fibrous tissue that runs from the heel bone to the base of the toes. However, the actual plantar fascia is rarely tender to the touch. Instead, it is the deeper soft-tissue structures that show signs of tenderness and are actually the cause of pain.

What Causes Plantar Fasciitis?

PF is a type of repetitive stress injury which usually develops over a long period of time.

These stresses include:

• • Flat or excessively high arches



• • Standing on hard surfaces for long periods of time
• • Sudden increase in physical activity



• • Being overweight



• • Weak foot muscles



• • Poor shoe support



• • Excessive foot pronation



• • Tight leg muscles

These repeated stresses cause micro-tears to develop and the tissues become inflamed (swollen). The inflammation process causes the body to lay down scar tissue which inturn causes the plantar fascia to shorten. The scar tissue also binds other layers of the foot together, preventing them from moving freely past each other, causing further friction and leading to even more inflammation. If this cycle of shortening and increased inflammation continues, it pulls on the heel bone and a heel spur may develop.

In order to effectively treat PF, one must take into account:

• • Two commonly-ignored deep muscles that lie below the plantar fascia



• • Altered biomechanics caused by soft-tissue restrictions in other parts of the feet and legs



• • Layers of tissue deep within the foot that have lost their ability to move freely across one another

Therefore, it is important to remove the cause(s) of dysfunction rather than just treat the symptoms…that is, if you want to get better!