What You Need to Know about Chiropractic Care for Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis represents the inflammation of the ligament connecting the heel with the toes. It is a painful condition: sufferers feel a stabbing pain in the sole of their feet after intense physical activity, such as walking, running, or practicing sports.

In most cases, allopath doctors recommend taking NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and applying the RICE method: rest, ice, compress and elevate. However, this type of treatment has two downsides: some people are allergic to NSAIDs or do not want to take unnecessary medication and while the inflammation heals, scar tissue may form, reducing the flexibility of your foot.

In this article, we will show you an alternative solution: chiropractic care for plantar fasciitis. This is a minimally invasive treatment technique, with very few contraindications.


What Are the Causes of Plantar Fasciitis?

Your feet are incredible feats of engineering: a complex system of bones, muscles, ligaments, and joints, capable of a wide range of movements while bearing the full weight of your body.

And, just like with any overused system, your feet may suffer injuries. In the case of plantar fasciitis, any kind of intense and repeated walking and running may be the cause. While professional athletes are highly susceptible to suffer from plantar fasciitis, this condition can also affect anyone performing physical work on a daily basis.


Should You Just Wait until Plantar Fasciitis Heals by Itself?

As explained above, allopath medicine offers few options except for taking painkillers and waiting until the inflammation disappears, while protecting the injured foot from the effort.

However, the natural process of healing will create scar tissue. This means that the ligament in your sole will be:
• Less strong
• Less flexible
• Less capable of intense effort.

Thus, you will find yourself limited in your range of movements and ability to practice the sports or other physical activities you love. Hence, the need for chiropractic care for plantar fasciitis.


What Can Chiropractic Care for Plantar Fasciitis Solve?

A chiropractor sees an injured person, not just an injured foot. Their role is to heal the whole of you, restoring your ability to move, walk, run, and so on. When it comes to chiropractic care for plantar fasciitis, your treatment course may include:


1. Adjustments to Your Joints

Chiropractic care for plantar fasciitis aims to speed up recovery and break up scar tissue as it forms. Thus, the chiropractor will perform a series of adjustments on all the relevant joints:
• Feet
• Ankles
• Knees
• Hips.

The role of these adjustments is to reduce pressure on the nerves and ligaments. This, in turn, promotes healing of the affected area.


2. Stretching Exercises

Chiropractors can perform a wide variety of treatment techniques, including massage and stretching. Thus, chiropractic care for plantar fasciitis also involves specific stretching routines, which have several purposes:
• To alleviate pain
• To reduce inflammation
• To maintain the flexibility of the ligament as it heals.

As your condition improves, your chiropractor will teach you various stretching routines and other exercises that you can do at home. Thus, you can speed up your own recovery, but only if you are given the green light to do so.


3. Teaching You to Maintain a Correct Posture

Chiropractic care for plantar fasciitis does not end when you are healed. A practitioner will want to ensure that you do not suffer the same injury again. In many cases, people suffer this type of injury because they have an incorrect posture while performing various physical activities, running, or playing sports.

Thus, the chiropractor will observe your posture as you perform these activities and teach you how to correct them. This is a huge benefit for you for the long term because poor posture can lead to chronic pain and other complications.