Plantar Fasciitis
Heel pain is stubborn when it's only stretched and massaged. It settles properly when the foot is loaded and strengthened in the right order.
What is plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis — more accurately plantar heel pain — is irritation of the thick band of tissue running along the sole of your foot, most often where it attaches to the heel bone.
It develops when the demands on the foot outstrip the tolerance of that tissue: standing all day, a spike in running, a change in footwear, or reduced foot and calf strength. Weight, ankle stiffness and calf tightness all influence how much load reaches the heel.
Despite the name, long-standing cases show little inflammation. That is precisely why anti-inflammatory approaches alone tend to disappoint, and why loading is central to recovery.
Common symptoms
- Sharp heel pain with the first steps out of bed
- Pain returning after sitting for a while
- Tenderness at the inside front edge of the heel
- Pain that eases with walking then worsens later in the day
- Discomfort standing on hard floors or in flat shoes
- Tight calves and stiff ankles
- Pain when pushing off in a run
What causes it
- A sudden increase in standing, walking or running
- Reduced foot, arch and calf strength
- Restricted ankle dorsiflexion and tight calves
- Unsupportive or very flat footwear
- Long hours on hard surfaces
- Increases in body weight, including during and after pregnancy
- Previous heel, calf or Achilles problems
How physiotherapy helps
Assessment confirms the diagnosis, screens for the conditions that mimic it — nerve irritation, fat pad problems, heel stress injury — and identifies which contributors are yours.
Treatment pairs hands-on therapy for early relief with progressive foot, calf and hip strengthening, plus practical changes to footwear and daily loading. Most people notice real improvement within four to six weeks.
- Manual therapy to the foot, calf and ankle
- Dry needling for calf and foot muscle tension
- Progressive foot intrinsic and calf strengthening
- Ankle mobility work
- Taping and temporary offloading strategies
- Footwear, insole and standing-load advice
- Graded return to walking, running or standing work
When to seek treatment
- Heel pain lasting more than two weeks
- Morning heel pain that isn't improving
- Pain limiting work, walking or training
- Heel pain with numbness or burning in the sole
- Pain following a fall or landing — seek medical review first
Frequently asked questions
Let's get you moving again
If this sounds like what you're dealing with, an assessment is the quickest way to understand it properly. Plantar Fasciitis responds well to the right plan.