Understanding how plantar fascitis develops, helps to understand how to treat it. The normal gait or walk pattern of an individual will help to illustrate this.
When we walk normally our foot begins in a zero position as the heel hits the ground. Zero position means the foot is in a straight alignment. As the foot moves to mid foot position the foot tends to pronate or roll inward. The foot then recovers into zero position again moving to a slight supination at the met heads finishing in zero position with the toe off. This represents the movement of the foot as we walk normally. This movement is very subtle and we are obviously not conscious of the movements a foot makes during walking.
What happens with plantar fascitis is the foot does not recover from pronation mid gait. The foot stays slightly pronated. This may not be visible when observing a persons gait or inspecting their shoes for wear and tear.
The best choice for management of plantar fascitis is to use an arch support. A soft arch support is not enough usually requires a more firm or rigid type of support. This allows the foot to maintain a zero position stance and correction for the pronation.
A heel spur cushion can be a choice but it would not be a first choice. The cushion will provide relief from the inflammation and discomfort. The reservation with their use is that I have seen it create more of a problem. When using the cushion it does provide a bit of lift to the heel as well. This lift can cause the foot to pronate and can exacerbate the already painful condition.
To answer your question a rigid arch support is a first choice. It just makes sense when you understand the pathophysiology. A heel spur cushion would be a second choice but be prepared as it may create more discomfort.
Something to keep in mind is it takes time. Using an arch support will be uncomfortable at first since it is correcting an abnormal gait. In the long run it is the better choice. |
