Plantar Fasciitis: What Is It? What To Do About It?

How Can I Find Out If My Foot Pain is Really Plantar Fasciitis?

Often times, folks think they have Plantar Fasciitis if they are experiencing any sort of pain in the foot - irrespective of location, whether it be the top of the foot or the bottom, left or right. But the fact is that the plantar fascia is only one of the numerous structures on the bottom of the foot. This means it is not the only thing that can cause pain to the bottom of your foot. In fact, most of the time, the pain you are experiencing at the bottom of your foot isn't a result of plantar fasciitis. Generally, it's one of the smaller muscles that is the source of pain and discomfort. For instance, someone who has pain on the middle arch of the foot does not have plantar fasciitis, because that is not where the plantar fascia is even located!

So What is Plantar Fasciitis?

As mentioned above, much of the foot pain experienced by folks isn't Plantar Fasciitis. Rather, it's a spasm of one of the other muscles located nearby. The most typical form of Plantar Fasciitis is when the plantar fascia (a sinewy strip of tissue located at the bottom of the foot) becomes inflamed from a number of tears. As a result of this overuse, the body begins to deposit scar tissue in these miniature tears in an effort to heal the soft tissue. Due to this, the plantar fascia will become tight and far less flexible, making it prone to tears and inflammation in the future. This is what Plantar Fasciitis is in a nutshell. Read More.