Plantar Fasciitis Treatment
Nonsurgical plantar fasciitis treatment
When you first have pain, treatment and care for plantar fasciitis involve staying off your feet and resting your heel.
Other plantar fasciitis treatments include:
- Applying ice packs to your heel to lessen pain and swelling.
- Taking anti-inflammatory drugs to help manage pain and swelling.
- Wearing orthotics or heel pads, or taping your foot to provide extra support to the ligaments ifor further relief.
Rehabilitation for plantar fasciitis
You may need physical therapy to strengthen the muscles of your feet and legs and to improve flexibility.
Exercises focus on:
- Stretching the plantar fascia.
- Stretching the calf muscle.
- Strengthening the muscles around the foot and ankle joint.
If physical therapy and rehab don't help manage your plantar fasciitis, your doctor may suggest a cortisone shot.
Plantar fasciitis surgery
Only a small number of people will need surgery to correct plantar fasciitis. Your doctor will likely try nonsurgical treatments or rehab for six months or more before thinking about surgery.
The main types of plantar fasciitis surgery include:
- Plantar fascia release — surgeons remove or release the damaged part of the plantar fascia ligament that's causing pain.
- Heel spur removal — surgeons often combine this treatment with plantar fascia release to relieve long-term heel pain.
Recovering from overuse injuries takes time. Be sure to take care of your feet when they become irritated to avoid prolonged pain and injury.