Plantar Fasciitis Self Care

When you first rise and shine in the morning are your first few steps greeting you with severe sharp pain?

This stabbing type of heel pain is most commonly caused by an inflammation of your plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is the tissue that connects your heel bone to your toes. So you can see this covers an area all along the bottom of the foot.

The pain associated with plantar fasciitis is usually worse in the morning because as you sleep at night and are off of your foot the fascia will tighten or shrink back; so when your foot first hits the floor the fascia hasn''t yet had a chance to limber up. Once you are up and around a bit the pain may decrease somewhat as the tissue warms up and stretches back out.

Even though plantar fasciitis is quite painful, in most cases you can affect a cure and take measures against reoccurrence without surgical intervention.

With plantar fasciitis the symptoms are well defined with a sharp or burning pain on the inside bottom part of your heel that (as mentioned previously) will be most prevalent with the first steps in the morning or after you have been off your feet for a while.

For most, the cause of plantar fasciitis is simply putting the tissue under to much stress and strain from everything from too strenuous of a workout to any type of activity around the house that would overload the tissue.

The majority of plantar fasciitis cases can be treated and relieved via self care techniques.

After a period of activity or you have been on your feet, apply ice to the area of pain on your foot. Do this by wrapping the ice in a cloth or light towel and apply for about 15 to 20 minutes at one time. Ideally you''ll want to apply the ice to your foot immediately after any periods of activity with your foot. An actual ice message will benefit as well. Freeze a small paper cup full of water then simply rub the top of the ice over the painful area for about 5 to 7 minutes. Either way, the key with the cold therapy is to reduce the swelling in the tissue.

In situations where cold therapy isn''t an option, try to stay off your feet as much as possible. Cut down on the mileage you are putting on your feet by eliminating unnecessary trips and walking.

Also, take up a routine of stretching your arch, foot, and Achilles tendon area. This is particularly important early in the morning before you begin engaging in your daily activities.

If your work requires that you spend the vast majority of your day on your feet, you may want to add arch supports or heel cups to your shoes in order help absorb the shock that your plantar fascia is currently taking. Your doctor may recommend other conservative mechanical devices such as night splints or orthotics. A night splint is a device that attaches to your foot that keeps your plantar fascia and Achilles in a stretched position during the night. Orthotics is specially form fitted (to your foot) inserts for your shoes that help distribute your weight evenly.

With most plantar fascia pain being the result of some form of stress and strain, you can see that most of the treatment is directed toward relieving the stress and treating the physical pain. Something as simple as getting your weight under control can be a part of the treatment and prevention process.

If, however, self care techniques and treatments are ineffective at providing relief, you should consult with your physician regarding the pain, what you have currently been trying to relieve the pain, and the options regarding a more aggressive treatment.

For more important information on sore feet visit sore-foot-remedies.com where you will find advice on foot pain causes such as plantar fasciitis, foot corns, and more.