Alternative Treatments for Plantar Fascitis

In the United States, over two million people are suffering from a heel condition known as plantar fasciitis. It is marked by inflammation and pain on the bottom surface (sole) of the foot causing limited mobility. Plantar fasciitis may be a sign of an issue elsewhere within the body’s kinetic chain. There are a few several medical treatments available that can help treat plantar fasciitis including splinting, injections, and medications, but all of them only provide temporal relief. To treat and prevent the rise of plantar fasciitis, you can do several conservative approaches at home effectively and comfortably to avoid unnecessary medical costs.

A person suffering from plantar fasciitis (PF) usually starts to feel pain on the inside of his/her heel which in the morning is often quite painful. PF commonly strikes overweight people although athletes are also likely to develop it. Around 10% of the US population will suffer this condition at some point in their life. This kind of trauma is naturally recurrent but it neither occurs nor disappears overnight. A fallen arch combined with poor running or walking biomechanics causes stress on the plantar fascia and can result in scar tissue formation and micro-tearing. Out of control inflammation may ensue if scar tissue formation is left unaddressed. Preventing the rise of PF is much easier than addressing a chronic condition.

Alternative Treatment to Drugs and Injections

Plantar fasciitis can be resolved using several available approaches that can be done at the comfort of your home with objects you already have. Begin by stretching those calf muscles. You can do this by letting your heels hang off and stand with your toes on a step, and then slowly allow your heels to approach the floor. The plantar fascia can be stretched by sitting with one leg extended in front of you. Hold both ends of a towel and around the toes of the extended foot, and gently pull the toes toward you. To resolve the inflammation and pain, freeze a bottle of water and then underneath the affected foot, you can roll it. This can serve as a massage of the fascia and help control the pressure and alleviate pain. If you want a more aggressive treatment to break up the scar tissue, you can roll a bouncy ball, a golf ball, or a tennis ball on your foot and apply different degrees of downward pressure into it. This is to break up old scar tissue that is likely generating the inflammation. It is vital to follow this exercise with ice therapy and stretching whenever it is performed. It may require months of therapy to relieve symptoms since plantar fasciitis can be a really stubborn condition. Other treatments such as acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic can give extra results and treatments that medical physicians can’t offer like myofascial release, ART, and IASTM have proven their effectiveness in treating plantar fasciitis.

Eastern Healing Solutions, LLC
10875 Grandview St #2200
Overland Park, KS 66210
(913) 549-4322

Overland Park Acupuncturist

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