Ease Plantar Fasciitis Pain Without Surgery

If you have heel pain, arch pain, or a stiff sole on your foot, you may have plantar fasciitis. Although only about 1% of women and men in the United States receive a plantar fasciitis diagnosis each year, if you’re one of them, you’ve probably been trying to find relief.

Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia — a band of fibrous tissue that stretches from your heel to your toes. A healthy plantar fascia absorbs shocks when you walk and helps to maintain your foot’s alignment and proper biomechanics. 

You may have developed plantar fasciitis in response to an injury. Or it may have occurred over time as a result of the wear-and-tear of aging. Either way, when your plantar fascia becomes stretched or torn, your body tries to heal it. The healing process starts with inflammation. If the damage is too severe, the inflammation and tears remain.

At North Park Podiatry, our expert podiatrists — Trent Brookshier, DPM, and Ricardo Navarette, DPM — diagnose and heal plantar fasciitis at our San Diego, California, office. While we offer surgical repair for damaged fascia, we often recommend other therapies first.

Can you heal your plantar fasciitis without surgery? Try these tips to improve your pain.

Change your shoes

The wrong footwear is responsible for creating or worsening a vast array of foot problems, including plantar fasciitis.

Whenever possible, wear flat shoes and sneakers. Choose a toe box that gives your toes room to wiggle and steady your body when you walk, run, jump, or dance. Make sure your shoes have arch support.

Add an insert or orthotic

Since your damaged plantar fascia can no longer absorb shocks when your feet hit the pavement, you can ease some pain by adding a shock absorber to your shoe. Even the inserts from the drugstore may help pad your foot, giving you some relief.

A better choice is customized orthotics molded to your feet. Orthotics absorb shocks and correct misalignments that contribute to your pain. They also support your arch in a raised and healthy position.

Pamper your feet

Use ice packs to ease the pain and burn of plantar fasciitis. You also also benefit from soaking your feet, which helps them relax.

Follow a soaking session with stretches and massage. Any intervention that increases blood flow to your arch, sole, and heel may make you more comfortable. Your plantar fasciitis could be a perfect excuse for a pedicure with the works.

You could even benefit from a foot “coach.” A physical therapist can show you how to gently stretch your fascia while building strength and resiliency in the rest of your foot.

Sleep splinted

An easy way to stretch your plantar fascia is to do it while you sleep. We can fit you with a splint you wear at night.

The splint gently pulls on your plantar fascia, preventing it from contracting and shrinking. You and your feet wake up refreshed from a night of deep sleep uninterrupted by plantar fasciitis pain.

Try steroids

Corticosteroid injections subdue the inflammation that causes pain and swelling in your feet. If the above remedies haven’t helped, we may recommend anti-inflammatory medications, including steroids.

Unfortunately, medications aren’t a long-term therapy. However, they may give you enough relief to continue stretching and healing your inflamed fascia.

Give your feet a shock

The last step before surgical repair is extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT). This non-invasive treatment uses high-energy sound waves that pass through the skin to the fascia and stimulate healing.

An ESWT treatment only takes 10 minutes per foot. First, we numb your foot with a gel. When the shockwaves hit your foot, you may hear a tapping sound and feel a small amount of discomfort.

The shockwaves increase blood flow to the sole of your foot. This leads to increased healing. In addition, the shockwaves may dull the irritated nerves that have caused your intense pain.

You may need at least three ESWT sessions to improve your pain. We follow up to ensure your plantar fasciitis has resolved after your last session. If not, we may recommend another ESWT.

Stop plantar fasciitis pain without surgery by calling our friendly team today. You can also schedule a consultation with our easy online appointment form.