Are you feeling pain in the heels of your feet? It might be plantar fasciitis. Don’t fret; it’s a common condition that almost 3 million people in the US suffer from annually. Let’s find out what options we have for plantar fasciitis physical therapy.
What Is Plantar Fasciitis?
We need to know what it is before we look for physical therapy for plantar fasciitis. So, Planter means the sole, and fasciitis means the soreness and inflammation of the facia, making plantar fasciitis the heel’s inflammation. It’s a condition caused by muscle overwork, similar to knee pain cycling and foot sports injuries.
The facia of the planter works as a shock absorber and supporter of the foot arch, so inflammation here means you will face issues with general movement.
What Causes the Planter Facia To Damage?
The causes of Plantar fasciitis are:
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Muscle tear or damage
- Aging
- Overstretching the foot
- Accident trauma
- Overuse of the muscle
How Does Physical Therapy Help Plantar Fasciitis?
The physical therapy plantar fasciitis exists and is highly effective in easing pain and presenting such a condition in the future. They put you on plantar fasciitis physical exercise to improve your overall health. So, now we will discuss plantar fasciitis physical therapy protocol and what PTs put you through.
1. Assessment of Your Gait
First, the PT for plantar fasciitis will assess your gait or walk.
- They will ask you to walk in front of them to observe your points of pressure when you walk, where you feel pain the most, your walking posture, your speed, your style, and your overall movement.
This will help them understand the core problem and the intensity of the injury so they can start the plantar fasciitis physiotherapy. They will then put you on gait training to improve your walking ability.
2. Orthotics
Using orthotics like foot pads or shoe inserts is a beneficial physical therapy plantar fasciitis treatment that helps support your foot arch, panther, and heel and improve your walking movement.
3. Stretches
Your plantar fasciitis PT will create a set of stretches for foot and ankle pain relief according to your injury complication. Stretches are one of the best plantar fasciitis physical therapy exercises; they include toe, calves, and rolling stretches. Stretching physical therapy for heel pain, ankle pain, and the plantar area will improve flexibility and overall movement.
4. Strengthening Exercises
The physical therapy exercises for plantar fasciitis promote strengthening muscle endurance and flexibility. The PT exercises for plantar fasciitis are very important in strength foot support; they usually include calf stretch, planter facia massage, arch lift, ankle circles, and marble pickup.
5. Icing the Foot
Icing is the oldest inclusion in plantar fascitis physical therapy. It helps ease pain and lower swelling and inflammation. Your PT might instruct you on when and how much ice you need to apply to your plantar.
6. Taping
Taping is another popular treatment that confines the foot and enables you to undergo regular plantar fasciitis exercises physical therapy. The physical therapist will tape your foot and guide you on using tape to get short-term pain relief.
7. A Night splint
One of the biggest causes of muscle strain is sleeping improperly. Getting a night splint is part of heel pain physical therapy. It prevents abnormal foot movements when you sleep. Your PT will give you a night splint, or you can get one from the local pharmacy or sporting equipment store. They are highly supportive for your foot, arch, and ankle.
How Lake County Physical Therapy Can Help?
You need to search for ‘physical therapy for plantar fasciitis near me’ before your condition worsens and becomes something bigger than just muscle strain. Go for a physical therapist for hire and relieve the pain through active exercise and professional guidance in physical therapy treatment for plantar fasciitis.
One of our old patients, Cynthia R., shared:
Get A Plantar Fasciitis Physical Therapy
Don’t wait for your plantar fascia injury to get worse. Get physical therapy. It helps strengthen your muscles and promotes healthy movement in your body. Undergoing the entire plantar fasciitis physical therapy would prevent the chances of this injury in the future and prepare your muscles for intensive workouts.
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