The Top Five Reasons Your Plantar Fasciitis Keeps Coming Back
Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common things I see in my practice. By the time they come to my clinic they are on their 2nd or 3rd round of plantar fasciitis and frustrated that it keeps coming back. Which begs the question, why does you plantar fasciitis keep coming back? Let's look at a few of thing traditional programs leave out what you can do to keep it from coming back.
1. Improper Footwear
Shoes should be the first place you look when treating plantar fasciitis that won't go away. Shoes that are too narrow, have too much heel lift, or too much toe elevation lead to increase strain on your plantar fascia. Finding wide, flat, and flexible shoes may be the best thing you can do to for plantar fasciitis that keeps coming back.
Click Here To Find A List Of Foot Healthy Shoes
2. Lack of Foot Strength
Many people look for plantar fascia stretches to help with their pain. More commonly, the issue has to do with foot strength. Spending hours in tight and contricting shoes also leads to weak feet. This means more strain on the plantar fascia. Building strong, healthy feet should be one of the first goals to treat plantar fasciitis that keeps coming back. Toe Yoga (below) is one of my favorite exercises to build strength in the small muscles of your foot to treat plantar fascia pain.
3. Lack of Hip Strength
Injuries rarely happen in isolation. One of the most common causes of plantar fasciitis is something called foot pronation (rolling inward of the foot). Weakness in your hips contributes to overpronation of the foot. This places increased strain on the foot. A treatment plan for plantar fasciitis that doesn’t address hip strength is doomed to fail because it’s not addressing the CAUSE of the foot pronation. Adding a hip strengthening program to is vital in preventing plantar fasciitis from coming back.
Click Here For The Best Glute Med Strengthening Exercises
Weakness in your hips causes foot pronation and leads to increase strain on your plantar fascia
4. Lack of Functional Strength
Your body (and foot) needs to be strong enough to support the activities you love to do. If not, more strain will be put on your joints and plantar fascia that keeps pain coming back over and over again. Functional strengthening exercises to improve leg strength, balance, and control are an important piece in treating plantar fasciitis that keeps coming back.
Toe Taps are a great introductory exercise to build functional strength of the foot and leg
5. Nerve Irritation
Plantar fascia pain isn't always caused by irritation of the plantar fascia. In some cases, entrapment of your nerves can mimic plantar fascia pain and is important to address in the treatment plan. Exercises like Lower Extremity Nerve Flossing can help free your nerves and help limit plantar fascia pain.
As you can see, foot pain isn't always a foot issues. Some of the best ways to treat plantar fasciitis that keeps coming back is with strength. For more ways to treat plantar fasciitis don't forget to check out my complete guide at the link below:
The Complete Guide To Treating Plantar Fasciitis At Home
For the last 10 years I’ve been helping adults learn to move with confidence to solve chronic joint pain and maintain their lifestyle as they get older. I’ve put together a free, step-by-step program to help you get started treating your joint pain from home. Download your free copy of ‘Solving Pain With Strength’ at the link below.
