This is a very common injury and occurs between the heel and the insertion of the fascia into the 5 metatarsal phalangeal joints (1st joints of all the toes). Pain is generally along the inside part of the fascia from the heel to the big toe.
The easiest way to understand this injury is to think of the fascia as a strong coil which stretches during activity and contracts again when you are sitting or sleeping. If this coil gets injured by stretching too far, it tears which results in pain. When you sleep or rest your feet it tries to heal itself, which results in pain as soon as you weight bear again and take a few steps.
Mechanism of the injury
- Bad, worn or ill-fitting shoes
- Repetitive stress through walking, jumping or other activities.
- Leg length discrepancy (one leg is longer than the other)
- Injury resulting from the hips, knees or ankles that causes gait compensation
- Pain on the bottom of your feet after standing or working all day
- Pain on the bottom of your feet after sitting for long periods at a desk or driving a car.
- Morning pain when you take your first few steps out of bed which generally improves as you walk.
How can healthy steps help you?
- Provide strapping which can often relieve symptoms instantly as it off loads the fascia
- Offer orthotics if necessary, depending on the stage and mechanism of injury to off load and prevent the injury from worsening
- Refer you to a physiotherapist for massage and strengthening exercises.
- Educate you on how to rehabilitate the injury effectively.