Every year, millions of Americans are affected by heel pain. Bone spurs and Achilles tendonitis can cause heel pain however, the most common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a thick and fibrous tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot. This condition arises when undue stress is placed on the arch that supports the foot and small tears can develop which will result in pain and swelling, especially at the heel.

If left untreated, not only can the foot pain in Huntington become chronic, but it can lead to knee pain, hip and back pain. Many people believe that the only way to treat this condition is with injections or even surgery but there are a ton of natural methods that have proven to be successful in treating the symptoms of plantar fasciitis and there are great prevention techniques and corrective measures that can be taken to reduce your chance of suffering from it again in the future.

About 10% of the population in Huntington will suffer from plantar fasciitis at some point in their life and unfortunately, some people are predisposed to stressing their plantar fascia because of abnormal gait, foot arches and pronated feet. Whether your foot pain is acute or chronic, at Balance Chiropractic and Wellness Center we recommend a thorough examination and we look at everything from a patient’s posture, shoe wear, or even X-rays if needed and we perform a highly sensitive digital scan which evaluates the of the arches of the feet and looks at asymmetries in the foot posture.

We see a ton of patients with plantar fasciitis and foot pain and we’ve had great success using a class IV laser, stretching, adjusting the bones of the feet, and prescribing a custom, functional orthotic to support the arches. Healing time varies from patient to patient but most see relief within 5-8 visits or so if it’s acute or 8-12 visits or so if chronic.

It's just as important to treat the condition as it is to educate the patient about preventative measures since plantar-fasciitis often reoccurs at some point down the road. Here are some things you’ll want to make sure you try… as prevention is the best medicine.

1. Modify your activities
2. Try to switch shoes
3. Keep excess weight off
4. Get some rest
5. Take supplements that have natural anti-inflammatory properties
6. Stretch the calf muscles
7. Perform some self-massage to the plantar fascia and the calf muscles
8. Wear a custom, functional orthotic
9. Make an appointment at Balance Chiropractic and Wellness Center in Huntington with a podiatrist to rule out other conditions