Do You Have Sharp or Burning Pain in the Sole of Your Foot, Centering at the Heel?
Are you a runner sidelined with foot pain? Have you woken in the morning and felt sharp pain in your foot when taking those first steps out of bed? Have you felt pain in your foot after getting out of a long car ride, an airline flight or other prolonged periods of sitting, only to have the pain diminish after you've been on your feet for awhile, and then return again later in the day? Do you have swelling, redness or feelings of heat around the heel? If so, these symptoms typically describe a condition called Plantar Fasciitis, or small tears in the plantar fascia - the ligament along the sole of your foot from the heel bone to the ball of the foot, by the toes.
Will Plantar Fasciitis Go Away On its Own?
If you're one of those "tough-it-out" patients, then you will be happy to know that yes, plantar fasciitis is likely to go away on its own with a lot of rest, stretching, ice, massage, anti-inflammatory OTC (over-the-counter) drugs and time - a lot of time, commonly 3 to 12 months as long as re-injury is avoided. Luckily, a visit to Superior Spine Care can not only help to identify daily activities that are putting you at risk for re-injury, but you will also get proper diagnosis and treatment for your plantar fasciitis to help your foot heal faster.
PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR TREATMENT & PREVENTION OF PLANTAR FASCIITIS
Most websites you'll visit when researching treatment for your plantar fasciitis will list physical therapyas a common and effective treatment. At Superior Spine Care our Physical Therapist, Chrissy Frey, MSPT, treats many patients with plantar fasciitis with a unique exercise and stretching program tailored to the individual based on activity level, age and many other factors. This treatment is designed to identify the cause of your plantar fasciitis while prescribing appropriate treatment and education to prevent reoccurring plantar fascia injury.
Physical Therapy for Foot Pain
When our patients come in with foot pain, after a series of questions to diagnose the cause of pain and discomfort, our physical therapy process starts with an overall postural analysis. Chrissy devotes her undivided attention to observe the patient while they walk, watching how the body is positioned both in a static position and during movement.
Upon a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis, as well as other foot injuries, our physical therapist may apply anti-inflammatory treatment, perform effective calf stretching, discusses the use of night splints and other helpful orthotics for reducing the pulling on the ligament and more. She also ensures the patient takes home the instructions, and confidence, to keep the icing, the stretching and other treatments up at home in between visits.
Local Physical Therapy, Chiropractic Care & Massage Therapy
At Superior Spine Care, we have created our local clinic with the objective of getting our patients out of pain, teaching our patients how to maintain their health after the pain has been effectively treated and providing preventive measures to keep our patients from experiencing pain again. To accomplish this we offer three distinctly different services that work together with perfect synergy - chiropractic care, physical therapy and massage therapy. For example, in the case Chrissy, our Physical Therapist observes a misalignment in the pelvis, spine or other extremities when performing her overall postural analysis, she can refer the patient to Dr. Neil for chiropractic treatment. Similarly, she can also refer patients to Nikki, our licensed Massage Therapist, for therapeutic massage to help treat pain, encourage recovery and prevent injury.
