Competitive Edge

Plantar Fasciitis can be a very debilitating injury that can limit activity and may cause you to take time off work. Plantar Fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia ligament that runs along the bottom of your feet.  It is caused by an excessive stretch, overloading or strain to cause micro-tears in the tissue. Plantar Fasciitis can be triggered by excessive pronation, inflexibility of the longitudinal arch or tight calf muscles along with other biomechanical faults or muscle imbalances.  

Symptoms

Symptoms may include heel pain, foot pain, stiffness and tenderness on the bottom of one or both feet. Symptoms can be particularly worse in the mornings.

Treatment

Treatment incorporates ice massage, rest from aggravating activities, anti-inflammatory medications, soft orthotics or shoe change, stretching and strengthening programs, correcting biomechanical imbalances and manual therapy. Assessment and treatment in the clinic will look at the entire kinetic chain, including hamstrings, hips, pelvis, spine, etc.

While you wait to come into a sports therapy clinic, you can manage your symptoms and start your rehabilitation with these at home exercises:  

• Rolling bottom of your feet with a golf ball, lacrosse ball or frozen water bottle
• Towel toe curls – Lay a towel on a flat floor, place toes on one end of the towel, crunch toes moving the towel towards you. To progress or challenge yourself, place a small weight or can of soup on the towel to increase the resistance to you toe crunch.
  

• Calf stretching with a straight and bent knee against a wall

Looking for help with an injury, aches or pains? Give us a call at 403-252-6222. We are dedicated to identifying and resolving the root cause of your complaint. No band-aide approach here. We can’t wait to see you and get you back doing what you love!