by Dr. Laura Sciaroni
Share
by Dr. Laura Sciaroni
Share
The information presented below is just that – information. It is not intended as medical advice. If you think you have plantar fasciitis and have not been able to resolve the symptoms on your own – consult with your doctor for proper treatment!
A couple of my family members have been having trouble with plantar fasciitis lately, and after sharing some information with them, I thought I would share that information here as well. I’m seeing a lot of plantar fasciitis in the office lately, particularly since the weather is so warm and a lot of us are out there taking advantage of it, running and hiking more than we usually would at this time of year.
The plantar fascia is a ligament on the bottom of the foot, extending from the heel to the front of the foot and supporting the arch. Plantar fasciitis occurs when this structure becomes inflamed. This can happen for a number of reasons, including overuse, tight calf muscles, or shortly after beginning a new activity. It is not caused by heel spurs – many people have bones spurs in their heels, but few of them have plantar fasciitis! Your doctor usually doesn’t need an x-ray to diagnose plantar fasciitis, though it is sometimes useful to help rule out other conditions such as stress fractures.
The main symptom of plantar fasciitis is heel pain – particularly tenderness at the front of the heel. Many times there is immediate pain with the first step when you get out of bed in the morning, but some people may have worse symptoms later in the day, when they’ve been on their feet for a while, and the pain can’t always be localized to just the front of the heel. If it’s bad, it may not feel that specific.
STAY IN THE LOOP
Subscribe to our free newsletter.
There has been a lot in the media in the past year on physician burnout and how this affects care. This is a real problem, and as medical providers are squeezed, at some point it will start to take a toll on the standard of care that a patient can expect. As we work to […]
This is a question a lot of patients struggle with. Sometimes doctors struggle with it too. Which is the best option for any given patient? First of all, the x-ray findings are important. There are three compartments in the knee: the medial compartment (inner portion of the knee), lateral compartment (outer portion) and the patellofemoral […]
Well the last few days of the Operation Rainbow trip have been a blur. We finished surgery, packed up and are heading back to Quito today, then home tomorrow. Our hosts for this trip were the Doctors Rodriguez, Orthopaedic surgeons of Loja. They own a private hospital there which they opened to us in order […]
Today was a day to fix femur fractures, pediatric hand deformities and other unusual problems. Christopher Jose is 1 year old and was born with 7 fingers on his right hand. Here is his hand before surgery: The surgical team: And here is the result: His hand will continue to develop fairly normally and he […]