Can Chiropractic Care Help With Plantar Fasciitis?
Have you ever woken up in the morning, stood up, and felt an excruciating, tearing sensation in the bottom of your foot as you took your first step? If so, you likely experienced plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is a very common disorder that creates havoc for tons of people around the world every year.
Often, this condition can resolve on its own. But when you need a little extra help getting rid of a particularly troublesome case of plantar fasciitis, your chiropractor can help!
Understanding The Plantar Fascia
Plantar fasciitis, specifically, is an inflammatory condition affecting the band of tissue that runs across the bottom of the foot on both sides. This tissue provides a springy support for the posterior chain (the interconnected group of muscles in the back of the body, from the head to the toes). Ordinarily, the plantar fascia helps to keep the foot stable and to transmit force up to the powerful leg muscles during activities performed in standing, such as walking, running, or jumping.
However, in order for the plantar fascia to be able to do its job, it needs to be kept mobile and pliable. Also, the muscles surrounding it need to be kept healthy as well.
When this area is stiff and inflamed, the resulting condition is known as plantar fasciitis.
What Are the Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis?
In the introduction, we provided a brief, common scenario that is common for plantar fasciitis sufferers.
Specifically, most people with this condition will feel a tearing and ripping sensation in the bottoms of their affected feet during gait. These symptoms are especially debilitating in the morning, after the plantar fascia has had a chance to stiffen up overnight. Luckily, symptoms usually get slightly better as the patient walks more and more throughout the day, stretching out this tissue.
Moreover, by performing specific stretches and exercises on a daily basis, plantar fasciitis sufferers can often resolve their symptoms in the long term. These movements typically involve bending the toes and ankles backward and holding the stretch for prolonged periods of time.
Alternatively, there are a number of passive supportive treatments that have also been shown to be helpful for plantar fasciitis. For instance, orthotics that correct any gait deviations can reduce the severity of plantar fasciitis. Also, the use of night splints, which keep the foot and ankle bent backward while you sleep, can provide passive stretch to this tissue overnight.
But often, patients are missing out on one important area of treatment that can provide profound healing for their plantar fasciitis: chiropractic care.
Chiropractic Care and Plantar Fasciitis
Any painful condition in the body involves the nervous system. In fact, without the brain and spinal cord, we wouldn’t feel pain at all (we also wouldn’t feel anything whatsoever, but that’s a different story).
The spine acts like a highway through which all signals going to and coming from the brain must pass. Therefore, if this “highway” has any rough patches or issues that prevent signals from arriving at their destination, healing often takes much longer than it ordinarily would.
For this reason, chiropractors perform adjustments to the spine in order to bring it back into optimal alignment. These treatments are quick and effective. Also, they generally provide long-lasting relief for patients with painful conditions of all kinds: from plantar fasciitis to back pain to everything in between!
If you are experiencing plantar fasciitis or any other painful condition, come and see your Noblesville chiropractor today. Our team at Anchor Health Chiropractic is here to serve you so that you can get your life back. Book your first session today.
