Plantar Fasciitis – Caring For Your Feet

Plantar Fasciitis: Its Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Plantar fasciitis and heel spurs are the two most common causes of pain in the bottom of the heel, the arch, or both the heel and the arch.

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a thick ligamentous/fibrous band on the bottom of the foot that is attached to the heel and runs forward to insert into the ball of the foot.

Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammation of this band, which usually occurs at its attachment to the heel; however, the inflammation and pain of plantar fasciitis can occur anywhere on the plantar fascia.

A Heel Spur is a piece of calcium or bone that sticks out from the bottom of the heel bone and lies within the fibers of the plantar fascia.

Last update on 2026-04-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

When walking, the spur digs into the plantar fascia and causes small micro-tears in the plantar fascia.

This produces inflammation and pain in the heel, which may sometimes radiate into the arch.

The chief diagnostic sign of these problems is pain in the bottom of the heel or arch when first standing, which gradually improves with walking. This pain may later return with continued walking.

The pain usually subsides after a period of rest.

The treatment involves correcting the underlying causative problems.

Please read the following sections for more information on the symptoms, diagnosis, surgery, and treatment for patients with the problem.

Plantar Fascitis – Symptoms

Plantar fasciitis and heel spur pain symptoms usually begin in the bottom of the heel and frequently radiate into the arch and toes. Patients may experience sharp pain or a dull ache.

The pain is most intense when first standing, after rest.

Most people with this problem experience their greatest pain in the morning, the first few steps after sleeping.

Stretching exercises can help alleviate the discomfort.

After several minutes of walking, patients with plantar fasciitis may experience pain, which can be alleviated by stretching. The pain usually becomes less intense and may disappear completely, only to return later with prolonged walking or standing.

The pain may radiate into the ankle if a nerve is irritated due to the swollen plantar fascia, which is a symptom of plantar fasciitis. This condition affects the ligament that connects the heel to the toes.

In the early stages of Plantar Fasciitis and Heel spur, patients may experience symptoms such as pain in the toes and heel. The pain will usually subside quickly after getting off of the foot and resting.

As the disease progresses, it may take longer periods for the pain to subside.

Treatment is recommended to alleviate symptoms and prevent further damage.

Plantar Fasciitis – Causes & Predisposing Factors

Each time we take a step forward, all of our body weight first rests on the heel of one foot. As our weight moves forward, the entire foot, including the toes, begins to bear the body’s weight, putting pressure and strain on the plantar fascia ligament, which can lead to plantar fasciitis.

Wearing proper shoes can help alleviate this condition.

There is very little “give” to the plantar fascia ligament, so as it stretches only slightly, it pulls on its attachment to the heel. If the foot is properly aligned, this pull causes no problems.

However, if the toes are not in the correct position, it can result in plantar fasciitis pain.

However, suppose the foot is “pronated” (the foot rolls outward at the ankle, causing a breakdown of the inner side of the shoe). In that case, the arch falls excessively, and this causes an abnormal stretching of the relatively inflexible plantar fascia, which pulls abnormally hard on the heel.

The same pathology occurs with “supination” (the foot rolling inward, causing a breakdown of the outer side of the shoe). Supinated feet are relatively inflexible and usually have a high arch and a short or tight plantar fascia.

Thus as weight is transferred from the heel to the remainder of the foot, the tight plantar fascia hardly stretches and pulls with great force on its attachment to the heel, causing pain in around 83 percent of patients with fasciitis.

In both cases of plantar fasciitis, a disease affecting the attachment of the plantar fascia to the heel, patients usually experience pain, inflammation, and possibly swelling. This condition is not related to cancer.

The plantar fascia partially tears away from the heel if this process continues, leading to a condition known as plantar fasciitis. The tearing causes pain and discomfort, becoming a chronic disease if left untreated.

In some rare cases, the buildup of calcium in the torn area can mimic the symptoms of bone cancer, but it is usually just a heel spur.

Predisposing Factors: Those factors which increase your chances of developing Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Spurs are:

• History of previous episodes of Plantar Fasciitis or Heel Spur symptoms.

• Presence of Hereditary Biomechanical Foot Defects (those foot abnormalities that one is born with) can lead to plantar fasciitis, heel pain, and other related diseases in patients.

Last update on 2026-04-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Pronation and Supination – were discussed above.

• Flat Feet (Arches) pull excessively on the Plantar Fascia. As the arch drops, the Plantar Fascia does not become longer, so there is a greater pull on it. This may eventually cause inflammation and pain in the heel or arch.
• High Arches usually occur in feet that have shortened Plantar Fascia. The shortened Plantar Fascia helps to produce an abnormally high arch. When the Plantar Fascia is shorter than normal, there is an excessive pull on it that may eventually cause heel and arch inflammation and pain.
• Short Leg Syndrome that is left untreated. With each step taken, this disease will increase the forces placed on the Plantar Fascia. The foot on the longer leg carries the body’s entire weight longer than is normal (it takes longer for the short legıs foot to reach the ground). This increases the amount of weight the Plantar Fascia must bear, which increases the stresses on this structure. Because the foot on the short leg needs to fall further to reach the ground, it is continually “slammed” onto the ground. This will increase the force and weight on the Plantar Fascia of that foot. This may cause Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Spurs to form and be painful.

Lifestyle Patterns that frequently lead to the occurrence of Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Spurs:

A Lifestyle that requires you to be on your feet for excessively long periods can increase the risk of plantar fasciitis and heel pain, which are common foot diseases.

Whether your job requires this or you enjoy weight-bearing leisure activities, the longer you are on your feet, the more common it is for Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Spurs to occur.

Frequent barefoot walking increases the risk of developing Plantar Fasciitis, causing pain and discomfort for patients. Shoes with a supportive arch, well-protected heel, and good sole provide some shock absorption for the Plantar Fascia, reducing the risk of fasciitis and minimizing patient pain.

Without this shock absorption, Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Spurs may occur.