What We Want Athletes to Know About Plantar Fasciitis

You’re active and love being able to move freely, whether you’re hitting the pavement for a run or the courts for a game of tennis or pickleball. And, like all athletes, you don’t love the idea of being forced into a timeout because of injury.

Well, if you rely a good deal on your feet, it might be helpful to understand a little bit about plantar fasciitis, which sends two million people to seek medical help each year in the United States. 

As podiatrists, Dr. John Schoppe and the team here at Advanced Ankle & Foot specialize in all types of sports injuries, from sprained ankles to plantar fasciitis. In this month’s blog post, we will focus on the latter — plantar fasciitis — and why most athletes should at least know the basics.

What is plantar fasciitis?

A band of strong tissues runs from the balls of your toes to your heels called your plantar fascia. This long, thin ligament supports the arches in each of your feet and acts as a shock absorber.

When you have plantar fasciitis, tiny tears in this tissue cause inflammation. At first, you might develop pain in your heels and along the bottoms of your feet, especially when you take your first steps in the morning. This occurs because the inflammation in your plantar fascia causes the tissue to tighten, and when you use your feet after a long period of inactivity, the inflamed tissues stretch out painfully.

Over time, plantar fasciitis pain can develop after you’re on your feet for a while, and you might develop heel spurs, which are your body’s way of protecting itself. Unfortunately, these bony growths can often exacerbate your discomfort.

Risk factors for plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis qualifies as a sports injury because active people between the ages of 40 and 70 are at the highest risk.

Plantar fasciitis often occurs when you suddenly ramp up your activity level or try a new sport. Perhaps you transition from trail running to, literally, pounding the pavement, and the new surface stresses your plantar fascia.

Plantar fasciitis also occurs in athletes who engage in high-impact sports with plenty of jumping, such as basketball.

Outside of high-impact sports or abrupt changes in activity, other risk factors for plantar fasciitis include:

• Running long distances
• Tight calf muscles
• Having high arches or flat feet
• Sudden weight gain

The reason why we’re outlining these risk factors is so that you can take some steps to prevent plantar fasciitis. For example, if you’re changing your activity, do so gradually and let your feet ease in. Or, you might spend some time really stretching out your calf muscles so that they’re not pulling on your plantar fascia.

How we treat plantar fasciitis

If you suspect you’ve developed plantar fasciitis, we want you to see us so that we can take swift action. We understand that you’re anxious to keep moving, and we share that goal, but early intervention is key.

Once we evaluate your feet, we can provide you with a comprehensive treatment plan that might include one or more of the following:

• Activity modification
• Orthotics
• Stretches 
• Medications
• Night splints

To determine which approach is best for your plantar fasciitis, we invite you to contact our office in Columbus, Georgia, to schedule an appointment.