The Best Treatments for Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is a term that refers to inflammation of the fascial layer (i.e. the layer of tissue between your skin and your muscles) on the bottom of one or both of your feet. It is often very painful and the cause is often difficult to determine, though many suspect that age, how your feet are built genetically, and/or excessive activity may all play a part. What are the best treatments for plantar fasciitis? There are many different answers to this question, so let’s explore some of them.
If you see your doctor for what you think might be plantar fasciitis, you’ll probably be told there are no real tests that can be done to diagnose it, and that you should just stretch it, ice it and rest it as much as possible. And that it will go away in several months.
Well, the good news it that that’s not ALL that can be done - there really are several other things you can do, including many of the therapies we offer at YG. Let’s go through some of your options for the pain you’re feeling:
1. Manual Therapy. Depending on how long you’ve been suffering, either a little or a lot of manual therapy should be used to help break up adhesions in your fascial tissue that have formed. This will help the fascia heal properly, i.e. the way it was intended to be. And what type of manual therapy may depend on you, and/or your specific manifestation of the condition. At Yellow Gazebo the manual therapies we offer to treat plantar fasciitis include chiropractic, physiotherapy, massage therapy, osteopathy, and acupuncture. Each one of these therapies can help with plantar fasciitis, so don’t be shy and ask us which one might suit you most appropriately.
2. Exercise. As mentioned above, stretching might help your pain, and one of the manual therapists in the disciplines we offer can help prescribe the right stretches for you. The other half to exercise, however, is strengthening. So be sure to explore with your therapist how the right strengthening exercise might help heal your plantar fasciitis.
3. Orthotics. If you have feet that just genetically have high arches, weak plantar flexor muscles, or even an unusually tight Achilles tendon, you may need more than manual therapy and exercise. While the first two treatments may resolve your pain, if you’re genetically predisposed to this type of pain then the best treatments for plantar fasciitis should probably include orthotics. At Yellow Gazebo you can meet with one of our chiropractors, who are experts trained in prescribing orthotics so that not only will you only be recommended these devices if you truly need them, but you’ll also get the best proper fitting for your feet.
If you would like to talk to one of our experts about your particular concern, we can give you a better idea of how your individual recovery process might look. For more info, call us today at 416-909-2334, or use the online booking link below to book your first treatment.
