When you wake up in the morning and step out of bed do you experience a stabbing pain in your heel? Does the pain return after you have been off of your foot for an extended amount of time?
If you answered yes to either of these questions you may be experiencing a condition called plantar fasciitis. This condition is common and the leading reason for an individual to experience pain in his or her heel.
There are many factors that can make an individual more prone to feeling the effects of this condition. Some of these factors are avoidable, while some are inherent traits.
Plantar fasciitis is extremely common in individuals that are constantly placing stress on their heel. The most prevalent example of people in this classification would be runners.
When a runner runs, he or she may be putting an unhealthy amount of weight, force and pressure on his or her heel. When the heel experiences an unusual amount of any of the above mentioned symptoms, many times the runner will experience plantar fasciitis.
There are many other sports that put an excessive amount of stress on your heel and attached tissue. Ballet and dance aerobics are two more sports that give participants a high risk of developing the condition.
There have also been many studies that show that sex has an effect on the chances of experiencing plantar fasciitis. The results of the studies show that women are more prone to feeling the effects of this heel pain.
Being overweight also puts a lot of stress on many of the body's joints, muscles and even organs. The shooting heel pain can also be caused by being overweight because the extra pounds translate to extra stress.
Wearing shoes that do not have adequate support is another factor that lead to the condition within the foot. Finding shoes that have thick soles, are secure around the foot, have arch support and are available to absorb shock is very important as you purchase shoes.
Finding proper footwear is important for everyone, but especially for people that have a job that requires them to be standing and or walking all day. Simply being on your feet all day can cause complications, so being on your feet all day and not having the proper footwear can be very detrimental.
Even walking in such a way that your weight is unevenly distributed and concentrated on your heel can cause extreme amounts of pain. Sometimes this is a result of being flat-footed or having an arch that is too high.
Foot pain is a very common symptom, and many people do not realize that they have plantar fasciitis. It is important to be educated and understand the condition.
Sometimes, even after being educated and having a sound understanding of the ways to prevent the pain, one will be diagnosed with plantar fasciitis.
When you begin to feel the pain it is critical to consult with a physician. Your first doctor's visit can be scheduled with your general physician although he or she may refer you to a foot specialist.
Before you visit with your doctor it is important to have a sound understanding of your medical history. It is also very beneficial to bring a detailed list of your symptoms.
The more detailed your list of symptoms, the more accurately your doctor will be able to diagnose you. It is best if you are able to document the time of pain, the area in which the pain was experienced, the type of pain felt and the activities you were participating in previous to and during the pain.
When visiting a doctor about foot pain it is important to make sure that your doctor understands your list of symptoms. Your doctor may check the possibility that the pain is being caused by something else by taking an X-ray or an MRI.
It is easy to confuse the pain of a pinched nerve or a bone spur in the foot with the pain caused by plantar fasciitis. Even if the doctor diagnoses you with plantar fasciitis, there is no need to be alarmed.
Almost 100 percent of patients that are diagnosed with the condition experience a full recovery, under conservative treatments in a few months. To experience a full recovery it is important that you follow the doctors prescribed treatment plan verbatim.
By maintaining a healthy weight, wearing supportive shoes, giving your feet some rest, and decreasing the level of impact in exercise you may be able to avoid ever having the shooting pain in your heel again.
Author Resource:-
Tom Selwick has worked as a podiatrist and foot surgeon for the past 14 years and written hundreds of articles about various foot conditions including plantar fasciitis.
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