What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis (commonly referred to as “heel spur”) is a common cause of heel pain and affects millions of individuals in the U.S. each year. The plantar fascia is a broad ligament that spans the entire bottom (plantar) of the foot just beneath the skin. When this ligament is stressed, the small collagen fibers begin to fray which results in inflammation and pain. This is caused by a number of factors including sports injury, obesity, jobs that require lots of standing and walking, high arched feet and flat feet. Treatments consist of shoe gear changes, anti-inflammatories, orthotics, physical therapy, Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology (EPAT), and surgery.