STRETCHING CAN HELP MANAGE PLANTAR FASCIITIS

"The plantar fascia is a broad, flat ligament that travels from the base of the heel bone to the ball of the foot," says podiatrist James R. Hanna, DPM, President-elect of the New York State Podiatric Medical Association. "Its purpose is to help support the longitudinal arch of the foot. Overstretching of the plantar fascia can cause injury and inflammation, resulting in plantar fasciitis."

 

Dr. James Hanna

 

To manage this condition Dr. Hanna advises stretching even before you get out of bed. "This usually involves a typical calf stretch that also stretches the plantar fascia," he says. If you try over-the-counter pain relief and stretching for six weeks and you're not getting better, give your healthcare professional a call. Sometimes plantar fasciitis will get better with self-help measures, but sometimes it won't. "Letting the problem go on for a longer time without progress allows it to become more chronic and often more resistant to treatment," Hanna says.

 

Source: Ruben Castaneda, U.S. News & World Report [7/6/20]

Courtesy of Barry Block, editor of PM News