Plantar Fasciitis is a condition that is commonly referred to as heel spurs, achilles tendonitis or foot pain.
Plantar Fasciitis occurs as a result of inflammation of the plantar fascia which is the tissue that makes up the soles of the feet. It is the first point of contact between the foot and floor and inflammation can result in tremendous pain when walking, especially after you’ve been sitting or sleeping for a prolonged period of time.
Most inflammatory conditions, are a result of overuse. But the term “overuse” is only relative. If you apply more pressure on your feet than they can handle, then you leave your plantar fascia vulnerable to inflammation. Inflammation causes a narrowing of the space causing excessive friction between the inflamed fascia and surrounding nerves, bones & tendons resuling in pain.

At Activate Clinic, we are confident that we can help you overcome your foot pain and resolve your plantar fasciitis completely.

FIRST VISIT & INITIAL ASSESSMENT

During your first visit, our Physiotherapist or Exercise Physiologist will gather your history and conduct an assessment of your condition. The assessment is vital to help us identify the specific mechanism to your plantar fasciitis pain. Since everyone is unique, we need to figure out why your plantar fascia has become inflamed so we can help offer the right treatment. Our experience has given us confidence that we can reduce your pain in the short term, but also interrupt the cycle that has caused your plantar fasciitis. 

Typical Treatment Options

Pain Management

Reducing pain is an integral component for allowing a full recovery. Not only is pain annoying, but it will prevent you from doing the things we need you to do in order to get a full recovery. We’ll discuss pain management strategies for plantar fasciitis and address when you should use ice/heat, self massage, stretching throughout your day. 
When the pain is severe, you may be offered some manual therapy (massage) or dry needling (acupuncture) to help accelerate the recovery from pain.

Daily Stretching Program

Most sufferers of plantar fasciitis need to partake in a daily stretching program especially during the early stage of treatment. The stretching program aims to take pressure off the plantar fascia by reducing the tightness in the surrounding muscles. The exact stretches, frequency & durations will vary depending on the severity of the condition and we’ll use our initial assessment to prepare your stretching program. We will also be able to modify & progress the stretches when necessary.

Supervised Exercise

We can also provide you with a supervised exercise program taking advantage of the extensive range of equipment available at our clinic. By using resistance and balance equipment, we can improve the mechanics of your problematic joints as well as improve your strength quickly. Supervised exercise is also beneficial in addressing areas of weakness that could be contributing to your plantar fasciitis injury. Supervised exercise sessions are covered by most health funds.

Home Exercise Program

Exercise & muscle strengthening is vital to ensuring that we help you solve plantar fasciitis for good. Improving the absolute strength of the muscle as well as the muscular endurance, means that your body can take more stress before it becomes inflamed, virtually reducing your risk of plantar fasciitis completely. Following our assessment, we will provide and demonstrate a home exercise program for you. This allows you to self-manage, helping to keep your costs down. We’ll also be available to progress your exercises when they become easier (you become stronger).