Plantar Fasciitis

one of more than 40 types of heel pains we can heal

Treat your heel pain:

Heel pain for less than 6 weeks

Heel pain between 6 & 16 weeks

Heel pain for more than 16 weeks

Is your heel pain really Plantar fasciitis?

How to treat your heel pain / plantar fasciitis?

Most heel pains get lumped together under the umbrella term ‘plantar fasciitis’. But there are over 40 conditions that can cause pain in your heel, so how do you know if you actually have plantar fasciitis or something else?

The key to recovery is understanding which heel pain you have and why you have it

So which heel pain do you have?

Genuine Plantar Fasciitis is pain here that really hurts when you stand on it first thing in the morning or after sitting but is eased off a bit within 30 minutes of weight bearing.

Pain in any of the below locations, or manifesting as described below, is not plantar fasciitis. You need to book an appointment to find out what type of heel pain you have.

Pain here that is there pretty much all the time

Pain here that has bruising or swelling

Pain here that feels like pins and needles or burning

Pain here that starts off ok in the morning but gets worse as the day goes on

Pain here that goes up to the back of your heel or forward into the arch of your foot

Pain here that came on suddenly or hurts every time you put your foot down all day long

If you have pain in any of these areas, you don’t have Plantar fasciitis. Your foot will respond differently to treatment depending on how ‘old’ the condition is (for more information see our Blog or watch this video)

How to get rid of your plantar fasciitis:

If you have had plantar fasciitis for 6 weeks or less, your plantar fascia is inflamed and ready to heal. These simple steps should help you recover:

  1. Rolling the arch of your foot - this ‘loosens’ the structure of your plantar fascia and helps to ease the pain - For our recommended arch roll equipment and advice on the best arch roll technique, give us a call on 01603 327999.

  2. Stretch your calf muscles. Stretching your calves will increase your ankle range of motion and reduce stress on your plantar fascia.

  3. Reduce sporting activities by 50% for 4 weeks - This will give your plantar fascia time to heal, while still keeping you active and putting the right kind of ‘work’ through your plantar fascia.

  4. Tape your foot - Use this technique will reduce stress on your plantar fascia by as much as 48%. If you need some tape give us a call and we can send some out to you.

How to treat your plantar fasciitis if you have been suffering with it for more than 6 weeks. Your plantar fasciitis has got organised and will need a little help to recover

  1. Plantar fasciitis massage - See this video for our recommended technique.

  2. Near-Infrared (light) Therapy - This therapy accelerates your healing process. See our blog for more details. If you would like to rent a hand held light therapy device, give us a call on 01603 327999 for details.

If you have been suffering plantar fasciitis for more than 16 weeks or if it keeps coming back after you think you have gotten rid of your heel pain then there may be more going on than just your heel pain. Please book an MSK podiatry appointment so we can get to the bottom of your plantar fasciitis with you!

A pain in your heel that isn’t plantar fasciitis

  • Policeman’s Heel

  • Heel Spurs

  • Pulled Foot Muscles

  • Sprained Ligaments in the Heel

  • Bruised Heel

  • Bursitis of the Heel

  • Achilles Pain

  • Tibialis Posterior Dysfunction

  • Cracked Heel Bone

  • Baxter’s Nerve Entrapment

  • Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome

  • Porta Pedis Syndrome

  • Sinus Tarsi Syndrome

  • Heel Joint Infection

  • Arthritis of the Heel Bone

  • Muscle Hypertrophy

  • Muscle Weakness

  • Referred Nerve pain from your back or leg

  • For more on your heel pain head to this video

We can confirm a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis via a video consultation

With over 28 years of experience treating plantar fasciitis and heel pains, our clinical director, Ian Sadler, has become a national thought leader in the field of heel pain. He heads the national Pods Heal Heels campaign (#PodsHealHeels) to educate both clinicians and heel pain sufferers about the many different heel pain types and how to differentiate and treat them.

“Heel pain is so poorly understood with every type of heel pain being lumped under the term ‘plantar fasciitis’ it seems most of the time the wrong treatment is given for your condition. My mission has become to help as many people as possible recover from their heel pain all over the country by educating clinicians and raising awareness of the condition”