If you wake up and feel a sharp pain in the heel of your foot, you may have a condition known as Plantar Fasciitis! Plantar Fasciitis is a common foot condition diagnosed often. Overpronation is the most common cause of plantar fasciitis, causing flattening of the arches.
Plantar fasciitis
Pronation allows us to absorb the impact of our body weight when we walk and more easily navigate across uneven terrain.
When the foot strikes the ground, the outside portion of our heel contacts the ground first, then the bones of the foot and its joints rotate inward. This step ends on the big toe in order to push off for the next step. During pronation, the arch naturally collapses, which to an extent is a normal and natural movement of the foot. The arch should then regain its shape, getting ready for the next step!
Overpronation occurs when the arch bottoms out and does not recuperate like it should for the next step. When overpronation is repetitive it causes stress and strain on our feet. This can lead to a breakdown of soft tissue, causing tiny tears in the fibres! Pain begins when inflammation occurs in the area.
Inflammation of the plantar fascia, a band of strong connective tissue that attaches to your heel bone, is called Plantar Fasciitis. This is commonly the cause of dreaded and painful heels that affect so many people.
It is most common to have pain in the morning when you first get out of bed or standing up after a long period of rest. As you sleep or sit for long periods, there is no load or weight applied to your foot. The plantar fascia then attempts to heal those tiny tears.
So, why do your heels hurt in the morning?
Your heels hurt because when you wake up and first step out of bed, pressure and weight aggravate the inflammation in the heel once again.
How can I treat my heel pain?
There are a variety of treatment options offered by BioPed to help reduce the pain you are facing! Custom foot orthotics are shoe inserts or insoles custom-made for your foot and designed to support arches. This can reduce overpronation and encourage a healthier movement of your foot. Raising the arch of your foot reduces the strain of the fascia and allows your body to start to recover!
Another great treatment option for heel pain is well-fitting and supportive footwear! The wrong footwear can contribute to foot pain. You want a shoe that will accommodate an orthotic, thereby providing a strong foundation of support!
Helpful reminders!
1. Don’t walk barefoot
It’s best not to walk barefoot at any time. The more you can support your arch, the faster the tears can heal. If left untreated, plantar fasciitis can evolve into scar tissue or a bone spur!
2. Stretch & massage
If you have scar tissue build-up, stretching routines and products that help with massaging come into play! Massaging devices help to break up scar tissue and speed up the healing process.
Helpful products!
BioPed Massage Balls are great for massaging soft tissue. To use, roll the massage ball along your heel to release some of the tension and increase blood flow!
Lastly, a compression foot sleeve like the OrthoSleeve Plantar Fasciitis Compression Foot Sleeve can help support the plantar fascia and provide compression to reduce inflammation and swelling! These sleeves can give you great symptomatic relief as orthotics and the proper footwear work at a biomechanical level allowing repair of the soft tissue.
