Chiropractor for Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Pain St. Louis, MO

Let’s consult with Dr. Jeffery Citrin, experienced chiropractor for Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Pain in St. Louis, Missouri.

Planter fasciitis is by far one of the most common sources of pain in a person’s heel. It is named after the body part in your heel that most often is the source of the pain there, ‘the plantar fascia’. The plantar fascia is a ligament that connects your toes to your heel bone.

This ligament often gets injured because a lot of strain and pressure are put on your foot’s arch every single day. If the plantar fascia gets strained it can swell, become inflamed and even weaken. You can usually tell if you have a plantar fascia strain because your heel will hurt when you attempt to stand or first start to walk.

This ailment is fairly common among middle aged people and those who are younger that are standing on their feet a majority of the time when they are at work or play. It is very common among such people as athletes and foot soldiers. It can occur in just one foot or to both of them.

As was mentioned, plantar fasciitis is usually brought about by the straining of the ligament that provides support for your arch. If this happens often enough the ligament will develop slight tears in it and this can lead to pain and swelling.

Here are some conditions that hasten the onset of plantar fasciitis:

• Your feet tend to roll inward excessively when you walk
• You have very high arches or have been diagnosed with flat feet.
• You do activities which require you to stand, walk or run for extended periods of time; this is especially true if these activities are done on hard surfaces such as pavement.
• You are severely overweight.
• You wear worn out shoes, high heels or shoes that don’t fit well.
• You have problems with a tight Achilles tendon or your calf muscles.

The pain associated with plantar fasciitis seems to be more prevalent when a person first wakes up and gets out of bed or when a person first stands up after sitting for a long time. If you have this condition you may notice you have stiffness in your leg that will go away after walking a little. The pain caused by plantar fasciitis will usually progress in intensity as the day goes on. Climbing stairs or standing in place for a long time usually makes plantar fasciitis pain hurt worse.

Many people who experience foot pain at night think they have plantar fasciitis but it’s more likely a case of tarsal tunnel syndrome or arthritis.

Plantar Fasciitis Examination and Treatments

If your condition is painful enough on a regular basis and you decide to see a doctor they will look at all your symptoms, past medical history and may even take x-rays to rule out a stress fracture to your foot. Once this is done they will recommend a course of treatment to you.

Common forms of treatment include:

• Rest
• Over the counter pain medicine and anti-inflammatory drugs
• Stretches and exercises designed to concentrate on your foot
• Purchasing orthotic footwear

If these forms of treatment do not work your doctor or chiropractor may try having you wear splints, giving you steroid injections or using chiropractic manipulation to help ease the pain and help improve the ailment. Surgery is an option but one that is seldom used unless the condition is still severe after several months of treatment.