If you’ve started experiencing painful symptoms along the bottom of your foot and around the heel and arch, it’s possible that you may have developed plantar fasciitis, which can be incredibly uncomfortable and make it very difficult to walk.
It’s more likely to be plantar fasciitis if your symptoms are worse when you start walking after resting or sleeping. You may find it hard to raise your toes off the floor, as well.
The condition is often caused by straining the plantar fascia, which connects your heel bone to your toes. Determining why it’s happening can be difficult, but there are some risk factors, such as age, tight calf muscles or heels, exercising on hard surfaces, overstretching during exercise, shoes with poor support and being very overweight.
It is often possible to resolve your symptoms yourself, but if they persist for two weeks or more it may be prudent to seek further medical advice. To help treat the condition yourself, rest and raise your foot on a stool and apply ice to the painful area every couple of hours.
Gentle stretching exercises can also help ease the pain, as can low-impact exercise such as swimming. Wearing heel pads and insoles can also provide relief.
If your symptoms persist or get worse, you may also find it beneficial to see a physiotherapist. Here at our Maidenhead clinic, we’re able to treat this kind of condition (and many more), providing you with a range of different exercises that can help ease your symptoms.
To find out more, get in touch with the team today so we can start you on a treatment plan and help you get back on your feet.