You use your feet for almost all your daily activities like walking, climbing, kicking, and running. You might wear tight shoes and/or high heels as well. Furthermore, you may be unknowingly abusing your feet if you do not care for them properly. Foot abuse may lead to plantar fasciitis. This is a condition that results in heel and foot pain. It is common in both children and adults.
What Is Plantar Fasciitis?
The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue spanning from the heel to the foot’s end. The plantar fascia absorbs the pressures and shock placed on the foot during movement. Too much strain or pressure can tear and damage the surrounding ligament. This results in inflammation and pain associated with plantar fasciitis.
The causes of plantar fasciitis vary and may include excessive exercise, wearing shoes with poor arch support, standing for long periods of time without support, and other activities that put prolonged strain or pressure on your feet.
The pain that accompanies this condition can radiate up the leg into the knee. This can cause further issues and make it difficult for you to jump, run and play sports. Plantar fasciitis is the major cause of heel pain.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help With Plantar Fasciitis
Chiropractic care is a natural, non-invasive way to treat plantar fasciitis. This may include manual adjustments and therapy to minimize foot stress and address the source of the pain. In addition to treating plantar fasciitis, chiropractic care has many other benefits.
One important aspect of chiropractic care for plantar fasciitis is physical manipulation therapy. This therapy focuses on increasing joint mobility. It is performed on the ankle and the foot to correct any altered motion that plantar fasciitis might have caused.
Depending on the severity of your condition, some of the treatment options by a chiropractor for plantar fasciitis may include:
1. Spinal signals
To start your treatment, a chiropractor is going to perform a standard spinal adjustment. This alignment targets the nerves in your feet. The reason why this treatment begins in your spine is that the arches of your foot are made of soft tissue.
Nerve signals are sent from the spine, and this soft connective tissue responds to it. As a result, the spine sends the correct signal, resulting in natural relief from the pain caused by plantar fasciitis.
2. Lower back adjustments
The lower back is perhaps the most significant part of your spine as it relates to your feet. This is because it sends more signals than any other part to the soft tissues in your feet.
Another reason why the lower back must be properly aligned is because of its proximity to the legs. Additionally, years of slouched posture can cause the lower spine to form a curved shape. Chiropractic care will help shape this curve and straighten it out.
3. Feet adjustments
Adjustments are not limited to the spine alone. A chiropractor may perform adjustments on your ankle and foot for serious cases of plantar fasciitis.
An adjustment is done to straighten the joints and bones. This will help reduce the amount of pressure you put on your heel, therefore reducing the pain.
4. Stretching
A chiropractor knows as much about bones as they do about ligaments. The plantar fascia is a ligament. Plantar fasciitis can lead to cramping and tearing of the muscles and ligaments. However, these fibers can be strengthened with routine and thorough stretching. Stretching can also help protect you from further damage.
Benefits Of Chiropractic Care For Plantar Fasciitis
In addition to treating the root cause of your plantar fasciitis, there are many benefits to chiropractic care. Here are some of the benefits:
Reduces stress
Chiropractic care can help reduce the amount of stress you put on your foot; This includes the plantar fascia as well. The cause of plantar fasciitis is placing stress on the ligaments of the foot.
Some of the stress can be taken off the ligaments through chiropractic adjustments, thus letting your plantar fascia heal. You will also experience reduced inflammation and pain when the stress on your plantar fascia is reduced.
Eliminate secondary symptoms
Chiropractic care helps get rid of secondary symptoms that can cause the condition of plantar fasciitis to occur. Some of these symptoms may include altered gait, balance problems, and pain in other areas of the foot, knee, and leg.
Getting a chiropractic adjustment and relieving stress on the plantar fascia will ensure that you experience less pain. Chiropractic care will also help correct your walking pattern or altered gait. Generally, it will solidify your balance as well.
Prevents symptoms from getting worse
By taking advantage of chiropractic care, which may include physical therapy, manual manipulations, adjustments, and keeping an eye on plantar fasciitis, you can prevent the symptoms from getting worse.
Additionally, treating this condition with manual therapy will allow the chiropractor to address the root cause of the issue, which may be painful joints or an altered gait. This will ensure that plantar fasciitis does not affect your daily routine and quality of life.
Provides multifaceted treatment
There are various non-invasive treatments for plantar fasciitis. Among these options is chiropractic care, which has been shown to be effective and safe. Additionally, chiropractic care can be paired with other treatment options like physical therapy, massage, targeted exercises, and stretching.
Furthermore, routine appointments with a chiropractor can also be helpful. Chiropractors can make recommendations so that you do not suffer from plantar fasciitis in the future. The suggestions they make will ensure you maintain a healthy lifestyle free from pain.
Conclusion
You should see a chiropractor if you have foot pain and other issues associated with plantar fasciitis. Through experience, the chiropractor will help design a custom treatment plan that will ensure you get relief from plantar fasciitis. At Thrive Health Center, our efforts are to always ensure that our patients not only get relief from the pain but are also able to make lifestyle changes that prevent the pain from recurring. Why not make an appointment? Call 904-683-9397 for more info.
