What are HEEL SPURS & PLANTAR FASCIITIS?
By: Deny Dallaire, B.Sc., C.Ped (C)
Certified Pedorthist (Canada) with Thera-Ped Moncton
Heel spurs and plantar fasciitis are characterized as heel pain that is most intense when first getting out of bed or when getting up after resting. Usually, the pain becomes more tolerable once a few steps are taken.
Plantar fasciitis comes from the term “plantar fascia”. This is a broad band of tissue on the bottom of your foot that starts at the heel bone and spreads out all the way to the toes. The term “itis” means inflammation or irritation. Therefore plantar fasciitis means inflammation (or irritation) of the plantar fascia. For the purposes of this article, picture the plantar fascia as a “rubber band” spanning the bottom of your foot, keeping it in an arch. During the course of a day, it gets stretched and twisted repeatedly. When these stresses are repeated over a long time, micro tears can occur in the plantar fascia. These tears occur most commonly, but not exclusively, in the heel. When inflammation sets in, the result is pain.
If the micro tears occur very close to the heel bone, the body will deposit calcium in the tears in order to prevent further tearing. This would be comparable to wrapping tape around a rubber band to prevent it from breaking. The result is an excess of calcium on the heel bone that shows up as a “heel spur” on an x-ray. Contrary to popular belief, heel spurs do not hurt. The pain still comes from the inflammation in the plantar fascia. In fact, heel spurs are a response to plantar fasciitis. Many people have heel spurs and are pain free.
The most common treatment for plantar fasciitis is some form of arch support. There are many very good over-the-counter devices available on the market. When you support the arch of the foot and wear proper footwear, the plantar fascia cannot move as much and the stresses on it are greatly diminished. This allows the injury to heal.
If there are alignment problems with the feet, over-the-counter solutions probably won’t work and your doctor would prescribe custom-made arch supports (orthotics). Your Pedorthist is trained to spot these alignment problems and correct for them when making your orthotics.
When dealing with more severe or chronic cases of plantar fasciitis, physiotherapy should also be considered in conjunction with pedorthic therapy. In these types of cases, orthotics by themselves do not always bring about significant pain relief.
By: Deny Dallaire, B.Sc., C.Ped (C)
Certified Pedorthist (Canada) with Thera-Ped Moncton
Heel spurs and plantar fasciitis are characterized as heel pain that is most intense when first getting out of bed or when getting up after resting. Usually, the pain becomes more tolerable once a few steps are taken.
Plantar fasciitis comes from the term “plantar fascia”. This is a broad band of tissue on the bottom of your foot that starts at the heel bone and spreads out all the way to the toes. The term “itis” means inflammation or irritation. Therefore plantar fasciitis means inflammation (or irritation) of the plantar fascia. For the purposes of this article, picture the plantar fascia as a “rubber band” spanning the bottom of your foot, keeping it in an arch. During the course of a day, it gets stretched and twisted repeatedly. When these stresses are repeated over a long time, micro tears can occur in the plantar fascia. These tears occur most commonly, but not exclusively, in the heel. When inflammation sets in, the result is pain.
If the micro tears occur very close to the heel bone, the body will deposit calcium in the tears in order to prevent further tearing. This would be comparable to wrapping tape around a rubber band to prevent it from breaking. The result is an excess of calcium on the heel bone that shows up as a “heel spur” on an x-ray. Contrary to popular belief, heel spurs do not hurt. The pain still comes from the inflammation in the plantar fascia. In fact, heel spurs are a response to plantar fasciitis. Many people have heel spurs and are pain free.
The most common treatment for plantar fasciitis is some form of arch support. There are many very good over-the-counter devices available on the market. When you support the arch of the foot and wear proper footwear, the plantar fascia cannot move as much and the stresses on it are greatly diminished. This allows the injury to heal.
If there are alignment problems with the feet, over-the-counter solutions probably won’t work and your doctor would prescribe custom-made arch supports (orthotics). Your Pedorthist is trained to spot these alignment problems and correct for them when making your orthotics.
When dealing with more severe or chronic cases of plantar fasciitis, physiotherapy should also be considered in conjunction with pedorthic therapy. In these types of cases, orthotics by themselves do not always bring about significant pain relief.
