Brief Answer:
Plantar fascitis management

Detailed Answer:
Hi there.

Welcome to Healthcare Magic.

I have read your query and understood your problem.

Plantar fascitis is a common condition affecting persons especially who are overweight and who have jobs requiring long time standing or walking. It can occur due to tight calf muscles as suggested by your Doctor.

Your Doctor is right about the treatment including night splint for your feet to keep them in upright position during night time. He aisi suggested pain killers which are useful because they are NSAIDs which are anti inflammatory and required to control the inflammation in the fascia of your feet.

Answers to your questions -

(1) Exercise to be done include feet stretching exercises to loosen your tight soft tissue structures in your calf muscles and feet. The protocol is different in every hospital setup and can be discussed with your Orthopaedic surgeon or Physiotherapist.

(2) Treatment for Plantar fascitis include anti inflammatory medicines like Ibuprofen etc. Which can control the inflammation and pain in the feet. Other treatment include night splinting as you are doing, feet and calf stretching exercises, Steroid injection which offers great relief for about 3 months and may need repeated injections, Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection which is cheaper with almost no side effects and some studies show better efficacy than steroid injections and can be prepared from the patient's own blood sample, then comes surgery where plantar fascia release is done or plantar fascia puncturing is done.

(3) Pain killers like NSAIDs are usually taken for 3 to 4 months and if they do not offer relief, Steroid and other injection of Plantar fascia puncture are sought for treatment.

(4) There can be a bone spur or excess sharp bone growth formation in the base of the foot which can irritate the fascia lining of the foot causing plantar fascitis. Treatment will be to remove this spur of bone surgically.

(5) Xray is needed if your Doctor suspects Bone spur which can be seen in Xray or any old Fractures of the heel bone or to quantify severity of flat foot.

Kindly eat healthy. Exercise regularly. Drink plenty of water. Try to lose weight and stay fit as this may be the best management from your side to reduce the problem.

Kindly consult your Doctor as he is going in the right path with the treatment. You can discuss about the injections mentioned above for better relief.

I hope I have answered your query.

Thanking you.

Regards,

Dr. Aashish Raghu

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Brief Answer:
Must consult an Orthopaedician

Detailed Answer:
Hi there.

Thanks for the follow up query.

It is usually advisable for a Doctor to examine you for a bony spur and most of the time Xray is needed to confirm.

You will need to get a Lateral foot Xray done to look for bony spur.

One exercise you can do at Home or work is leaning against a wall with your outstretched hands in front of you. Keep one knee bent in the front and the other knee stretched behind it. Lab against the wall and stretch the foot with the straight knee. Hold this position for 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat this exercise 3 to 4 times a day.

Second exercise you can do is sitting on a stool with your affected foot over the knee of your normal leg. Push up the front of the foot with your fingers up towards the shin for about 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat this for about 3 to 4 times a day.

Wear soft insoles in your footwear.

You can do walking as you please, but with soft and comfortable footwear like basketball shoes.

You can apply cold pack to the base and over aspect of your heel intermittently for about 3 times a day, taking care to let the cold be in your comfort limit and not very harsh on your skin.

I hope I have answered your queries.

Thanking you.

Regards,

Dr. Aashish Raghu

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