How to Manage Your Plantar Fasciitis at Home?

Plantar Fasciitis Management

When you have plantar fasciitis, the tissues beneath the foot will get inflamed, thereby making your bottom of your heel or foot hurt. This issue is a common one among runners, although others with flat feet, higher arches, and obesity are also at the risk of getting the condition. In addition, people who are on their feet for a longer duration of time can also get plantar fasciitis. Normally, it would take six to twelve months for the condition to resolve. But, that doesn’t mean  you need to bear all the pain for all this time. Here, let’s see what you can do to manage your plantar fasciitis. Keep reading…[1]

Things You Can Do at Home to Ease the Plantar Fasciitis Pain:

We suggest you try the following things at home to ease the pain caused by plantar fasciitis and help your foot heal quickly:

 

Plantar Fasciitis Night Splint:

Use of plantar fasciitis night splint support sock will help you manage and relieve pain caused by plantar fasciitis while you are resting or sleeping. It comes in two forms:

(1) Plantar Fasciitis Soft Night Splint

(2) Plantar Fasciitis Rigid Night Splint

These are designed to keep your heel stretched and foot upright while you are sleeping. These night splints work based on the fact that if you stretch your heel overnight, the swelling and inflammation will alleviate, thereby, increasing the blood circulation to the affected area. On the other hand, it will also reduce your pains that are caused by plantar fasciitis. Thus, you can get a fast and effective alleviation from the condition.

Rest:

When you have plantar fasciitis, it’s really important that you keep your weight off the foot at least until the inflammation goes off. Therefore, resting is essential for quick healing.

Ice:

This is one of the easiest ways to treat inflammation and we have a few ways of how you can use the ice for plantar fasciitis. Find them below:

• Ice pack: In order to make a pack, just wrap a cloth or towel around a plastic bag with crushed ice. You can also use a packet of frozen corn or peas instead of crushed ice here. Keep this ice pack on your heel three to four times a day for about 15 minutes at a time.
• Water and Ice: Fill a shallow pan with water and ice cubes and dip your heel in the same for about 15 minutes. Repeat this at least a few times a day. While doing so, make sure not to keep your toes inside the water.
• Ice rub: To do this, pour some water in a small paper or foam cup and freeze it. After the ice is formed, rub it over the heels for about 15 minutes.

Note: If you are using ice for your plantar fasciitis, remember not to put ice directly on your inflamed heels.

Pain Relievers:

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can help deal with the pain in a better way while also helping with inflammation.[2]

Stretching and Exercises:

There are some stretches to try out for easing the pain associated with plantar fasciitis. Try out the stretches that involve your calves, Achilles tendon, as well as the bottom of the feet for better results. When it comes to exercises for plantar fasciitis, you must try out the exercises that will help strengthen the lower part of the leg and the foot muscles. Not only will these exercises  help stabilize your ankle and ease out the pain but it will also keep the plantar fasciitis from reoccurring.

Shoe Inserts:

These, which are also called insoles, will provide you with some extra cushion and support. You can buy them over-the-counter or you can get them customized. Using these consoles will give you excellent results as long as you choose the rigid one. While selecting the shoe inserts, ensure it has substantial arch support.

Note: You might have seen some ads going around the internet and media about the magnetic insoles. Research suggests that these insoles are ineffective. So, avoid buying magnetic insoles.

Athletic Tape:

An athletic tape can offer support to your foot and will keep you from moving your foot in a way that may worsen your plantar fasciitis.

Heel Cups:

Whenever you take a step on the floor, your heel will pound the floor putting stress on your plantar fascia. To prevent this, the heel-shaped cups that go into your shoes would help. Not only will these  give extra cushion but will also help lift your heels to relieve tension.

Note: Like the magnetic insoles, the heel cups are also found to be ineffective. However, these are the cheapest option to try out.

 

References:

1.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262610273_Plantar_and_Medial_Heel_Pain_Diagnosis_and_Management 2.https://uhs.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/plantar_fasciitis.pdf 3.https://www.cecity.com/aoa/jaoa_mag/2014/dec_14/900.pdf 4.https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0915/p676.html