Plantar fasciitis (jogger’s heel) involves growth disorder of the supportive connective tissue at the arch of your foot. Currently, it’s one of the most common heel pain reasons. In 2019, Drexel University College of Medicine researchers figured out that 1 in 10 people has experienced this disorder at least once in their lifetime. Such a spread of the issue gave birth to multiple misconceptions. Let’s resolve them all with willpowerpeak.com experts.
1. There’s No Place for Sports
In most cases, this statement is true. You shouldn’t do running, jumping, or any other high-impact exercises. On the other hand, low-impact exercise, such as walking and cycling in special sports shoes for plantar fasciitis, will help you deal with the issue much easier. Soft movement for a limited amount of time will only help your feet relax and prevent the development of the disorder.
2. This Is a Hereditary Issue
You probably know that there are quite a lot of health conditions that can be passed from an individual to later generations with genes. For example, such foot conditions as bunion formation can have a genetic predisposition. Plantar fasciitis, on the contrary, doesn’t have any scientifically approved predispositions. It means that you don’t have to worry about the disorder if your mom or dad have it.
3. It Occurs Only to 60+ Year-Olds
The truth is that people in their 50s and 60s are more exposed to plantar fasciitis due to the overall higher propensity to chronic health conditions. However, plantar fasciitis can occur in any other age group as well.
4. It’s Caused by a Torn ‘Foot Muscle’
Human feen have many muscles responsible for balance, support, and movement, but plantar fascia is not one of the muscles. It’s a strong fibrous band that is located at the arch of the foot to support it. The thick broad band connects the heel bone (calcaneus) with the toe and plays an important role in bearing the body weight and helping you move without problems.
In fact, the band runs over the sole muscles of the foot. Stretching and tearing the plantar fascia may lead to irritation or inflammation under your heel, which can be a cause of distinctive pain. If you ignore the discomfort for too long, the irritation will become a chronic issue that will require a more complex treatment course or surgery.
5. Heel Spurs Cause the Condition
This is one of the most common misconceptions about plantar fasciitis, and we understand the logic behind it. The fact is that a substantial number of patients also suffer from the so-called heel spur. Around 10% of the average Americans are exposed to this medical condition. The ‘spur’ is a bony ‘spike’ that starts growing from under the heel bone surface. It’s usually much easier to find as a simple x-ray of your feet shows the outgrowth if it’s really there.
Despite the fact that plantar fasciitis and the heel spur go ‘hand-in-hand’ so often, there’s no direct connection between these conditions. It’s also quite normal for people with heel spurs not to feel any pain at all. In case you have a plantar fasciitis diagnosis and a heel spur at the same time, your doctor may decide that there’s no need to remove the spur if it doesn’t cause extra discomfort. In such a case, you will have a small operation instead of a large open-type surgery.
6. It Occurs Only if You Have ‘Flat Feet’
Common medical statistics say that from 10% to 20% of the world’s population have pes planus (flat feet). If you remember the statistics given above, you can easily assume that there’s a 50% probability that every patient with plantar fasciitis also has fallen arches. ‘Flat feet’ is caused by the arch collapse and makes the entire sole of your feet to touch the ground when you stand.
This common condition is also a cause of higher tension on the plantar fascia band. While this is absolutely true, individuals who don’t have flat feet, have equal chances to suffer from jogger’s heel. As you see, there’s no need to go into these numbers. Just go to the doctor as soon as possible if you notice repetitive heel pain.
7. There’s No Cure
The treatment to jogger’s heel has been already developed as it’s the most common heel pain reason. However, you cannot heal without proper screening at a hospital. This is an obligatory requirement as the chances to confuse heel pain for one reason with another are quite high.
Medics understands that every patient may have unique symptoms, reasons, and the complexity of the problem. That’s why it’s so important to exclude other common heel pain reasons. They include nerve irritation, arthritis, stress fracture of the heel bone, and Achilles tendonitis. Only by having an objective anamnesis, your doctor can develop an effective approach to healing the condition. Answering the question ‘is there a cure?’, yes, there are ways to treat the condition, but they may be different, depending on the severity of your case.
8. Plantar Fasciitis Surgery Is Complex
Many people worry that plantar fasciitis treatment is possible only through a complex ‘open’ operation. Actually, this operation used to require surgeons to release the plantar fascia and remove bone spurs if they were detected. Fortunately, the procedure has progressed a lot since then, and there’s no need to do such a difficult operation in all cases.
Based on the understanding that heel spurs don’t cause this issue, surgeons have found a way to conduct the entire operation via two small incisions in the sole. As a result, you will recover much faster, and the scars will hardly be noticeable. Moreover, you can bear weights almost immediately after the operation, so don’t worry about falling out of your daily routines.
Myths Busted!
Now you know all the truth about plantar fasciitis. There’s no need to panic if you notice the symptoms and, of course, no place for self-treatment. See your therapist, and you will receive the right amount of treatment with minimal pain. And don’t forget to take a walk every day to exercise your feet without abusing them.
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