Pain in the Sole of your Foot and/or Heel? It’s Likely Plantar Fasciitis!

Pain in the sole of the foot or heel pain is more common in the summer. “Why?” you may ask. It’s often because people are spending more time wearing thongs or in bare feet. Mind you, increased running load from people playing sports such as football, basketball, rugby, soccer, netball etc can mean plenty of people suffering this pain as well!

Wearing no footwear, or footwear with no arch support increases your risk of developing plantar fasciitis. This is a condition where connective tissue in the sole of the foot (the plantar fascia)becomes irritated from being put under too much load.

When the arch of the foot is maintained, the plantar fascia is not being stretched. But when the arch of the foot drops, this tissue is on stretch and therefore under more load.

The good news is that this condition is usually easily managed. Treatment may include massage, foot joint mobilisations and ultrasound. While taping, orthotics and changes in footwear can help support the arch better and reduce the load on the plantar fascia, a rehab program to correct biomechanical issues is an important part of your recovery as well. It’s better to be able to maintain the arch yourself, rather than rely purely on taping, orthotics and footwear.

Stretching of the plantar fascia and calves can be helpful to relieve pain temporarily, as can deep tissue release using a spiky massage ball and icing.