Experienced a sharp, intense tightness at the bottom of your heel? If so, it’s possible you could be suffering from plantar fasciitis which is a form of heel pain.

Plantar fasciitis (its correct name being - plantar fasciosis) is caused by a thickening and overuse of the plantar fascia, a band of tissue that runs along the sole of your foot and connects your heel to your toes.

It is not caused by inflammation of the plantar fascia as commonly thought. In most cases, pain will be worse in the morning after taking your first steps and then can ease sometimes during the day. Pain will return after you resume activity from rest (for example getting up after sitting down).

Let’s get some more detail on heel pain or plantar fasciitis

What causes plantar fasciitis?

There are a number of different factors that can cause heel pain, and remember we are all unique. Some of the most common causes are:

  • Foot type (overly flat or high arched feet)
  • Weight gain
  • Your occupation (working on hard work surfaces, long hours on your feet)
  • General activity (performing a new exercise or doing more physical activity that usual)
  • Footwear (wearing inappropriate shoes - thongs, slip ons, very soft, flexible shoes)
  • Loss of your protective fat pad on the bottom of your heel


What can help prevent plantar fasciitis?

  1. Always wear supportive shoes - Your Podiatrist can advise you on the correct shoes for your needs.
  2. Change up your activity - style of exercise and amount!
  3. Work with your podiatrist to strengthen your plantar fascia to stop future issues.

How do you treat plantar fasciitis?

Firstly, the most important thing is getting the right diagnosis! As we stated above, there can be a number of different causes, so speaking to the team at Fit Foot Podiatry early can help identify the key issues.

Each case is unique so there is no one shoe fits all approach, treatment is individualised and personal to you. You can expect a management plan that is structured to your symptoms and lays out a treatment plan.


When should I see an expert?

Essentially if you experience a huge amount of pain, you should book in to see us straight away. It’s your body’s way of saying something wrong and you need to sort this ASAP!

You do not want to leave Plantar Fasciosis untreated for too long as this will worsen the symptoms and make it much more difficult to manage.

We work with clients over an 8-10 week period with the goal being return to desired activity pain free.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry and tackle the issue before you experience long term issues.