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Plantar Fasciitis: Symptoms and Treatment
Dr. Colin Graney discusses Plantar Fasciitis, what the symptoms are, and possible ways that you can treat it.
Featured Speaker:
Colin Graney, DPM, AACFAS
Colin Graney, DPM, AACFAS is Fellowship trained foot and ankle surgeon. Owner of Madison Advanced Foot & Ankle. please see CV for additional details. Transcription:
Plantar Fasciitis: Symptoms and Treatment
Guest_1
Scott Webb (Host): Welcome to Stoughton Health Talk. I'm Scott Webb, and I invite you to listen as we discuss plantar fasciitis, a condition that affects more than just athletes. And it's usually prevented and treated with better stretching and maybe a new pair of shoes. And joining me today is Dr. Colin Graney. He's a Fellowship Trained Foot and Ankle Surgeon and Owner of Madison Advanced Foot and Ankle. Dr. Graney, thanks so much for your time today. We're talking about plantar fasciitis. So let's do that. What exactly is plantar fasciitis?
Colin Graney, DPM, AACFAS (Guest): Plantar fasciitis is essentially an inflammation of a band called the plantar fascia. Now the plantar fascia is a very large and very broad ligament that essentially connects to the heel to the ball of our foot. And it is one of the support structures that holds up our arch.
Host: Yeah, and it seems like a fairly common injury. And I feel like I've had it before, but maybe didn't get it diagnosed. So how can we, you know, whether we're athletes or not, how do we know if we have it?
Dr. Graney: Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common things that people can experience. It starts with a sharp and stabbing type pain first thing in the morning, when you typically first get out of bed. And then eventually it gets better the more you walk, however, it can then come back later in that same day after periods of rest. Or for example, if you come home, eat dinner, when you get back up again, you can have that same sharp and stabbing type pain, essentially known as pain after periods of rest, which is very common for people to experience with plantar fasciitis. Now, as it becomes more and more of a chronic issue where it's not being treated, that sharp stabbing type pain can migrate to an aching and throbbing type pain that essentially can last all day and never truly go away.
Host: And what exactly causes plantar fasciitis?
Dr. Graney: So, essentially plantar fasciitis is one of those things where it's actually caused from a tight Achilles tendon. Believe it or not, essentially the Achilles tendon wraps all around the heel. And then a lot of those fibers become part of the plantar fascia. So one of the mainstays of treatment is by trying to stretch out the Achilles tendon and the calf muscle, and that can alleviate a lot of pressure and tightness around the heel and the plantar fascia.
Host: Yeah, it's so great to have an expert on, because I would have never known that. It's one of those things that I just assumed was something in the heel. It's something with shoes. Is it more common for athletes to experience plantar fasciitis?
Dr. Graney: Athletes can get plantar fasciitis, but this is also something that can be present in anybody within the population.
Host: Well, that's good to know. And maybe a little bit alarming. So, hopefully there are some home treatments, some at home treatments, and if there are, what are the options for people to, I don't know that you want people to self-diagnose, but let's say that they're pretty sure or they've been diagnosed. What would you recommend people do at home if they've developed plantar fasciitis?
Dr. Graney: So plantar fasciitis is essentially never going to happen after an injury, or at least it's very rare after an injury. So, if you have an event or some type of incident where you think you may have developed plantar fasciitis, it's likely something else. Plantar fasciitis will typically come on in the absence of any type of injury, it is something that will slowly kind of present itself. So, when you begin to have those types of symptoms and you are suspecting that you may have plantar fasciitis, one of the easiest things to do is start a simple stretching exercise, look up how to do a runners type stretch, or how to stretch out the calf muscle. You can even take your thumb and massage along the plantar fascia to try and break up some of that inflammation.
If you're able to take oral anti-inflammatories such as Aleve, ibuprofen, Tylenol, things along those lines, you can start by doing that as well. And then one of the easiest things to do is look at your shoes. If your shoes have seen better days, and they're a little bit more on the ragged end, essentially looking at a new pair of shoes or inserts can go a long way just to essentially help support the arch. Take some pressure off that heel and alleviate the plantar fascia.
Host: Yeah this is really helpful because I guess I was under the impression that it was something that could be caused by injury. So, as you're saying, it's often caused by people maybe not stretching properly or having a ragged pair of shoes. So, there are definitely some things that we can do to prevent or treat at home. What would you do differently let's say in the office?
Dr. Graney: So if some of the easier things that you've been doing just aren't quite working by the time we get to the office, there's a certain few things that I always try to rule out. I always want to confirm first that this truly is plantar fasciitis. Something as simple as an x-ray can really rule out any type of little stress fractures or things along those lines or any type of other bone spurs that might be causing your issues. Then beyond taking an x-ray, one of the mainstays of treatment is we can do a steroid injection. Now many people, don't like the idea of an injection going into their foot and I can't blame them, but it is one of the things that offers quite a bit of relief. And it's nearly instantaneous and people respond very well. Now there are some other different ways of treating it, but a lot of that includes a different type of brace that people can wear temporarily, just to try to take some pressure off and even sending someone over to physical therapy. Cause they can do a lot of really nice things that are non-painful and non-invasive just to help get you over the hump.
Host: Yeah, good to know that PT is an option. And you know, does plantar fasciitis ever get bad enough that people need surgery.
Dr. Graney: So it's relatively rare, but overall it does happen. Some people, whether it is a longstanding issue or it's just become so chronic, it's difficult to break that cycle, or as for some people, they just don't respond very well to conservative, some of the easier treatment options. So, every now and then people do require surgery for plantar fasciitis and the part that's nice about modern technology, is that it's now a minimally invasive surgery. So, for example, the way I do it, it's all done through a camera with two little stitches and essentially people can walk out of the OR and they're walking the same day of surgery.
Host: That is amazing to come in with a basically a foot injury or something that's bothering your foot and walk out the same day. That is so cool. Doctor, this has been really educational for me and I hope for everybody else. As we wrap up here, anything else you want folks to know about plantar fasciitis and what would be your takeaways?
Dr. Graney: One of the biggest things is that when people think they have plantar fasciitis, if you start to look up on Google and you look up these results, not always is it plantar fasciitis, there can be nerve type issues and other things. So, seeking a medical professional can be one of the easiest things to do, just to make sure we would get the recovery sped up, make sure we have the right diagnosis and basically get back to normal life as quickly as possible.
Host: Yeah, that sounds good. And definitely want to make sure that it's the right thing, you know, because we are not doctors and we only know, this hurts. But as you mentioned earlier, if you have plantar fasciitis, it's actually caused by your Achilles and can be relieved by stretching or better stretching and better shoes. Really educational today. Thank you so much, Doctor and you stay well.
Dr. Graney: Wonderful. Thank you. You too.
Host: For more information, head to Stoughtohealth.com and that concludes this episode of Stoughton Health Talk. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all the other Stoughton Hospital podcasts. I'm Scott Webb, stay safe and be well.
Plantar Fasciitis: Symptoms and Treatment
Guest_1
Scott Webb (Host): Welcome to Stoughton Health Talk. I'm Scott Webb, and I invite you to listen as we discuss plantar fasciitis, a condition that affects more than just athletes. And it's usually prevented and treated with better stretching and maybe a new pair of shoes. And joining me today is Dr. Colin Graney. He's a Fellowship Trained Foot and Ankle Surgeon and Owner of Madison Advanced Foot and Ankle. Dr. Graney, thanks so much for your time today. We're talking about plantar fasciitis. So let's do that. What exactly is plantar fasciitis?
Colin Graney, DPM, AACFAS (Guest): Plantar fasciitis is essentially an inflammation of a band called the plantar fascia. Now the plantar fascia is a very large and very broad ligament that essentially connects to the heel to the ball of our foot. And it is one of the support structures that holds up our arch.
Host: Yeah, and it seems like a fairly common injury. And I feel like I've had it before, but maybe didn't get it diagnosed. So how can we, you know, whether we're athletes or not, how do we know if we have it?
Dr. Graney: Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common things that people can experience. It starts with a sharp and stabbing type pain first thing in the morning, when you typically first get out of bed. And then eventually it gets better the more you walk, however, it can then come back later in that same day after periods of rest. Or for example, if you come home, eat dinner, when you get back up again, you can have that same sharp and stabbing type pain, essentially known as pain after periods of rest, which is very common for people to experience with plantar fasciitis. Now, as it becomes more and more of a chronic issue where it's not being treated, that sharp stabbing type pain can migrate to an aching and throbbing type pain that essentially can last all day and never truly go away.
Host: And what exactly causes plantar fasciitis?
Dr. Graney: So, essentially plantar fasciitis is one of those things where it's actually caused from a tight Achilles tendon. Believe it or not, essentially the Achilles tendon wraps all around the heel. And then a lot of those fibers become part of the plantar fascia. So one of the mainstays of treatment is by trying to stretch out the Achilles tendon and the calf muscle, and that can alleviate a lot of pressure and tightness around the heel and the plantar fascia.
Host: Yeah, it's so great to have an expert on, because I would have never known that. It's one of those things that I just assumed was something in the heel. It's something with shoes. Is it more common for athletes to experience plantar fasciitis?
Dr. Graney: Athletes can get plantar fasciitis, but this is also something that can be present in anybody within the population.
Host: Well, that's good to know. And maybe a little bit alarming. So, hopefully there are some home treatments, some at home treatments, and if there are, what are the options for people to, I don't know that you want people to self-diagnose, but let's say that they're pretty sure or they've been diagnosed. What would you recommend people do at home if they've developed plantar fasciitis?
Dr. Graney: So plantar fasciitis is essentially never going to happen after an injury, or at least it's very rare after an injury. So, if you have an event or some type of incident where you think you may have developed plantar fasciitis, it's likely something else. Plantar fasciitis will typically come on in the absence of any type of injury, it is something that will slowly kind of present itself. So, when you begin to have those types of symptoms and you are suspecting that you may have plantar fasciitis, one of the easiest things to do is start a simple stretching exercise, look up how to do a runners type stretch, or how to stretch out the calf muscle. You can even take your thumb and massage along the plantar fascia to try and break up some of that inflammation.
If you're able to take oral anti-inflammatories such as Aleve, ibuprofen, Tylenol, things along those lines, you can start by doing that as well. And then one of the easiest things to do is look at your shoes. If your shoes have seen better days, and they're a little bit more on the ragged end, essentially looking at a new pair of shoes or inserts can go a long way just to essentially help support the arch. Take some pressure off that heel and alleviate the plantar fascia.
Host: Yeah this is really helpful because I guess I was under the impression that it was something that could be caused by injury. So, as you're saying, it's often caused by people maybe not stretching properly or having a ragged pair of shoes. So, there are definitely some things that we can do to prevent or treat at home. What would you do differently let's say in the office?
Dr. Graney: So if some of the easier things that you've been doing just aren't quite working by the time we get to the office, there's a certain few things that I always try to rule out. I always want to confirm first that this truly is plantar fasciitis. Something as simple as an x-ray can really rule out any type of little stress fractures or things along those lines or any type of other bone spurs that might be causing your issues. Then beyond taking an x-ray, one of the mainstays of treatment is we can do a steroid injection. Now many people, don't like the idea of an injection going into their foot and I can't blame them, but it is one of the things that offers quite a bit of relief. And it's nearly instantaneous and people respond very well. Now there are some other different ways of treating it, but a lot of that includes a different type of brace that people can wear temporarily, just to try to take some pressure off and even sending someone over to physical therapy. Cause they can do a lot of really nice things that are non-painful and non-invasive just to help get you over the hump.
Host: Yeah, good to know that PT is an option. And you know, does plantar fasciitis ever get bad enough that people need surgery.
Dr. Graney: So it's relatively rare, but overall it does happen. Some people, whether it is a longstanding issue or it's just become so chronic, it's difficult to break that cycle, or as for some people, they just don't respond very well to conservative, some of the easier treatment options. So, every now and then people do require surgery for plantar fasciitis and the part that's nice about modern technology, is that it's now a minimally invasive surgery. So, for example, the way I do it, it's all done through a camera with two little stitches and essentially people can walk out of the OR and they're walking the same day of surgery.
Host: That is amazing to come in with a basically a foot injury or something that's bothering your foot and walk out the same day. That is so cool. Doctor, this has been really educational for me and I hope for everybody else. As we wrap up here, anything else you want folks to know about plantar fasciitis and what would be your takeaways?
Dr. Graney: One of the biggest things is that when people think they have plantar fasciitis, if you start to look up on Google and you look up these results, not always is it plantar fasciitis, there can be nerve type issues and other things. So, seeking a medical professional can be one of the easiest things to do, just to make sure we would get the recovery sped up, make sure we have the right diagnosis and basically get back to normal life as quickly as possible.
Host: Yeah, that sounds good. And definitely want to make sure that it's the right thing, you know, because we are not doctors and we only know, this hurts. But as you mentioned earlier, if you have plantar fasciitis, it's actually caused by your Achilles and can be relieved by stretching or better stretching and better shoes. Really educational today. Thank you so much, Doctor and you stay well.
Dr. Graney: Wonderful. Thank you. You too.
Host: For more information, head to Stoughtohealth.com and that concludes this episode of Stoughton Health Talk. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all the other Stoughton Hospital podcasts. I'm Scott Webb, stay safe and be well.