The most common symptom of plantar fasciitis is pain and discomfort in the heel, and it is also the most common cause of heel pain. Generally speaking, the pain is most obvious in the first step of getting out of bed in the morning, mainly because after a night's rest, the plantar fascia is no longer weight-bearing, and will be in a more shortened state. This is mainly because after a night's rest, the plantar fascia is no longer weight-bearing and is in a shortened state. Therefore, when you get out of bed in the morning and step on the ground, it will pull on the plantar fascia more quickly, thus causing pain. However, after walking for some time, the plantar fascia will become looser and the symptoms will be relieved. However, if you walk too much, the plantar fascia will be pulled more and more often and the symptoms will return. You can usually press on the bottom of the foot, near the heel, and feel a sharp pain. Sometimes the pain is severe and persistent.
Physical examination reveals that the most pain is on the anterior medial aspect of the heel bone, and that heel pain can be triggered by passively pulling the patient's toes upward or by asking the patient to stand on his or her toes. Bone spurs can sometimes be seen in the heel bone on X-rays of the foot, but the degree of bone spurs is not absolutely related to plantar fasciitis, so the diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms and can be supplemented with ultrasound images. In general, plantar fasciitis is more common in women, obese people, and the elderly.
The most important symptoms of plantar fasciitis are: pain in the heel when walking; and obvious pressure points on the bottom of the foot. Severe patients will have pain when standing or even resting.
Aseptic inflammation of the plantar fascia tendon is a type of heel pain.
The pain is felt on the bottom of the foot near the heel or in the center of the foot, and usually has a slow onset. It occurs in obese middle-aged women and people who love sports, such as professional athletes who run and jump for a long time, dancers and ordinary people who walk long distances. It is also common in people who prefer to wear soft-soled shoes and do a lot of exercise. The pain is heavier in the morning when getting out of bed or walking the first few steps, and can be partially relieved after further activities, but can be aggravated after prolonged activities. On examination, swelling of the anteromedial aspect of the heel is seen. There is obvious tenderness in the medial nodes of the heel bone and 2-3 centimeters from the beginning of the metatarsal tendon membrane. It is also necessary to observe whether there is any abnormal force line of the foot, whether there is tibial inversion, foot inversion and flat foot, high arched foot, whether there is any contracture of the Achilles tendon, etc. X-ray examination: about 50% of the patients can see bone spurs on the metatarsal side of the Achilles tuberosity. ultrasound and MRI examination can see thickening of the metatarsal tendon membrane, oedema.
The following reasons may cause plantar fasciitis:
1. Wearing high heels
2. Weight gain
3. Increased walking and stair climbing, and standing for long periods of time
If you often wear high heels for long periods of time, including western style boots, then there is a layer of tendon-like tissue on the bottom of your foot that will develop contractures as a result. The medical term for this tissue is plantar fascia. When you move around, pulling on this shortened layer can cause pain. This painful pulling often occurs especially when you wake up in the morning and walk barefoot on the ground.
You're also likely to develop plantar fasciitis when you gain weight. This is especially true if you walk a lot or stand for long periods of time in shoes with shallow and unsturdy heels. Normally, there is a layer of fatty tissue just below your heel bone. When you gain weight, too much weight during bipedal standing weight-bearing activities can increase the pressure on this layer of tissue, which can be damaged and cause heel pain.
People who like to run for exercise are also prone to plantar fasciitis. It often occurs when you change your practice and increase the distance and frequency of your runs. If you often run on uneven surfaces, it can also cause plantar fasciitis. It can also occur when your athletic shoes are badly worn, especially the heel sole, which doesn't provide enough protection for your heel.
In addition to this, people with congenital arch abnormalities, such as high or low arched feet, are more likely to develop plantar fasciitis than those with normal arches.
What are the causes of plantar fasciitis?
(1) When walking, the metatarsophalangeal joints dorsiflex, pulling on the plantar fascia, which in turn pulls on the calcaneal tuberosity. With age, the muscles and ligaments of the foot weaken, and the plantar fascia pulls the heel node with increased force, long-term repeated pulling of the plantar fascia at the beginning of a small tear, secondary inflammation, causing pain.
(2) Osteochondritis dissecans at the heel stop of the plantar fascia and fatigue fracture of the medial calcaneal tuberosity.
(3) Inflammation and edema at the flexor pollicis brevis stop and its proliferating bony spurs leading to entrapment of the first branch of the lateral plantar nerve.
Some other diseases of the foot, such as fallen arches, tibial inversion, Achilles tendon contracture, Achilles exostosis, anterior rotation deformity of the foot, middle-aged and elderly people's foot tendons, ligaments degeneration of the foot after the change in the arch of the foot, etc., will make the plantar fascia to withstand a greater degree of stress, long-term chronic tension can make the local tendon membrane to occur in a micro-tear, the local oedema to produce aseptic inflammation. Recently, some people call plantar fasciitis "tennis heel".
Treatment: Wearing professional health shoes with arch support or physical therapy can treat plantar fasciitis, while more serious cases need to consult a doctor and take anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medications, as well as resting and soaking feet in warm water can help recover from plantar fasciitis.