If you have nagging heel pain, chances are you are suffering from plantar fasciitis. This is the most common cause of heel pain that there is. So what is plantar fasciitis? Our feet have a ligament called the plantar fascia that attaches the heel bone to the toes. It also provides support to the arch of your foot so if this ligament gets strained in any way, it weakens and can become inflamed and swollen.

Plantar fasciitis usually occurs in people who are middle-aged. It can happen to people who are avid runners or those who are overweight, no matter what their age. The pain generally comes on gradually. It normally only affects one foot, but it can occur in both feet at the same time. Straining of the plantar fascia ligament is the cause. If it is strained over and over again, the ligament can receive small tears. It is the tears that lead to the pain and inflammation. There are a number of things that can cause this strain to happen in the first place.

Plantar Fasciitis may have developed because you have a tendency towards pronation. This means that your feet roll in as you walk. If you have either high arches or flat feet this can put strain on the ligament. If you spend a lot of time on your feet, either standing, running, or walking, this too can have an effect.

If you wear ill-fitting shoes or shoes with no support, you may suffer with this disease. Having tight calf muscles or Achilles tendons can put strain on the ligament.The main symptoms are stiffness and pain in the heel which is probably worse when you first get out of bed in the morning or get up after a long period of sitting. The pain may ease after taking your first few steps, but it likely will hurt more throughout the day.

Initially, you may be able to self-treat your plantar fasciitis without seeing a foot doctor. Here are some of the things you can to do help your foot heel. Cut back on the things that make your foot hurt and let it rest. Avoiding hard surfaces is always a good idea.

Icing your heel will help with the swelling as well as the pain as will taking something like ibuprofen or naproxen. Calf stretches and stretching your foot by pulling it back with the aid of a towel should be done several times a day, especially in the morning. Shoes with adequate arch support can help, plus adding shoe inserts to both shoes.

If the pain persists for six months or more even after trying all these things, it may be time to see a podiatrist. There is a relatively new therapy for plantar fasciitis called Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy. ESWT delivers sound waves to the heel area, which creates new blood flow to the strained and torn ligament. This procedure is safe and requires three or four treatments to be effective.

ESWT was first developed in 1996. The thought was that it could treat many things like kidney stones and musculo-skeletal problems. It was approved in the U.S. in 2000 by the FDA for treatment of plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, and tennis elbow. It has proven very effective in many cases.