In order to treat plantar fasciitis it is important to understand the meaning of plantar fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis occurs when the long, flat ligament on the bottom of the foot (plantar fascia) stretches irregularly and develops small tears that cause the ligament to become inflamed.

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of severe heel pain. It is important to start treatment soon after your symptoms begin.

Plantar fasciitis treatment begins with rest. It is important to keep weight off of your foot until the inflammation goes away. This can be hard for many of us because we are so active; however, rest is a vital element to help relieve pain in the heel. Another treatment to help speed recovery and aid in stopping severe heel pain is to ice your foot for 20 minutes three to four times a day and take an anti-inflammatory drug, medication, etc.

Your doctor will more than likely give you plantar fasciitis exercises as well. This plantar fasciitis treatment consists of stretching and strengthening exercises of the intrinsic foot muscle. Increasing the flexibility of the calf muscle is also particularly important. The stretching techniques most commonly used include: wall stretches, stair stretches, Dynamic stretches such as rolling the foot arch over a tennis ball and towel stretching.

Another plantar fasciitis treatment is night splints. This is recommended for patients who have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. Night splints are designed to keep your ankle in a neutral position overnight. This allows passive stretching of the calf and the plantar fascia during sleep. This will help create less tension with the first step in the morning, helping to alleviate pain in the heel of the foot, which is the most painful.

For acute plantar fasciitis and for patients whose symptoms are preventing them from working, Iontophoresis is another form of plantar fasciitis treatment. Iontophoresis is the use of electric impulses from a low-voltage galvanic current stimulation unit to drive topical corticosteroids into soft tissue structures.