Can I Wait to See My Doctor for Plantar Fasciitis?
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” When it comes to treating plantar fasciitis, you shouldn’t wait. Preventing severe symptoms will reduce the need for aggressive treatments such as surgery. Treating plantar fasciitis early can also save you a lot of time and money!
Plantar Fasciitis—Stage 1
It happened. You woke up one morning and felt a sharp pain in your heel with your first steps. This is a warning sign of plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a band of tissue connecting the heel to the base of the toes. It holds up your arch and takes a lot of the stress of your daily movements.
Seeing as the plantar fascia is damaged more with every step, the condition will not go away on its own. Seeing a foot doctor at this stage is critical! There can be many contributing factors to plantar fasciitis and your provider will review these to correct any underlying factors. This means a conservative treatment of taping, orthotics, and an equinus brace may do the trick.
Plantar Fasciitis—Stage 2
Now the pain has been going on for a while. It’s particularly bad after periods of resting and you may be changing the way you walk to compensate for the pain you feel. Your plantar fascia is having a really hard time and so your other ligaments and tendons are making up for it. If you haven’t already, now would be the time to visit a podiatrist.
Moderate plantar fasciitis treatments include conservative options such as tapings and braces along with additional measures such as laser therapy or PRP injections. Chronic pain in your heels from plantar fasciitis will take longer to go away now than if it had been treated early.
Plantar Fasciitis—Stage 3
The pain is almost constant. Your heel pain is interrupting your daily activities and makes it difficult to walk, stand, or even work. It’s possible your plantar fascia is now torn and other conditions such as bone spurs may be developing. You may even feel knee, hip, or back pain as your lower body continues to compensate for a weak plantar fascia.
At this stage, it’s likely that your plantar fasciitis will not respond to conservative treatment alone. Chronic and intense plantar fasciitis will require months of physical therapy in conjunction with tapings, injections, laser therapy, and more. If the plantar fascia is torn or you are developing bone spurs, a surgical solution may be necessary.
Plantar fasciitis is no joke and it’s something you should see your podiatrist about right away. A few hundred dollars for some orthotics and pain prevention will be much preferable over thousands of dollars of treatment and months of recovery time from surgery. Plantar fasciitis will not just go away on its own. If you are experiencing symptoms of plantar fasciitis, call FAAWC today. 740.363.4373
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