This fibrous tissue can become inflamed or torn, causing severe heel pain, especially in the first steps after the foot has been at rest. This stabbing pain normally dissipates after the blood flows to your feet and they begin to limber up.
This condition, called plantar fasciitis (fashee-EYE-tiss) often arises when the foot is subjected to hard, man-made surfaces like concrete or wood flooring, specifically when combined with shoes that have inadequate support.
This condition is also prevalent in pregnant women, soldiers, cops, or those with obesity challenges.
As the plantar fascia is weakened and worn down, the ankle will overcompensate for this loss of arch support by over-pronating. When a foot pronates the heel bone angles inward and the arch collapses.
This flattens the arch as the foot strikes the ground in order to absorb the shock of impact.
Pain will often be felt early in the morning or after exercise. If you don’t treat plantar fasciitis, it may become a chronic condition that inhibits your level of activity, and you may develop ailments in your ankles, knees, hips, and back as it changes the way you walk.
- You’re at a greater risk for Plantar Fasciitis if you walk or run for exercise, especially if you have tight calf muscles that limit how far you can flex your ankles. Plantar Fasciitis is also commonly referred to as Runner’s Heel or Cop’s Heel.
- People with very flat feet or very high arches are more prone to Plantar Fasciitis. The condition often results in a heel spur on the calcaneus (heel bone), in which case it can be the underlying condition, and not the spur itself, which produces the pain.
- You’re more likely to get the condition if you’re a woman, if you’re overweight, or if you have a job that requires a lot of walking or standing on hard surfaces.
- Walking barefoot can aggravate the condition.
