How to Recognize Plantar Fasciitis Symptoms

Look for pain and stiffness in the plantar fascia ligaments., Consider whether the pain is severe, and gets worse following specific movements., Think about whether the pain becomes duller throughout the day., Consider other possible causes of pain.

5 Steps 4 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Look for pain and stiffness in the plantar fascia ligaments.

    The main symptom of plantar fasciitis is the pain that arise from the inflammation of the plantar fascia ligaments, pain is known to be located at the bottom of the foot down the heel with about four centimeters from it in the direction to your toes.

    The site of pain is said to be tender while physical examination with signs of heel stiffness, pain and heel stiffness come from the inflammation process happening from the continuous irritation and stress exerted on the ligaments that can cause tiny tears in them.

    Tearing can lead to fluids escaping from the soft tissues nearby and out of the small capillaries to form heel swelling and localized edema in a degree according to the severity of your ligaments’ injury, this can cause the pain to be felt at the bottom of the heel with a degree of motion limitation, that can cause patients to limp in severe cases.
  2. Step 2: Consider whether the pain is severe

    Pain is prescribed to be severe and in his strongest conditions in the early morning when the feet first touch the floor, other known times of strongest pain attacks are when standing for prolonged times, sitting or lying down too long then standing or moving, climbing up stairs or walking tiptoes, these all are because of heel stiffness then trying to move the foot, that can bring all the pain when moving the plantar fascia ligaments.

    Climbing stairs cause sudden sole stretch while moving your both feet on the stairs, which can trigger the severe pain at the irritated and weak ligaments, while sleeping the hours of night; the plantar fascia ligaments become more short and get stiffed for a long time, when the patient wake up and take his first step out of bed, pain is said to jump to the extreme when he raise his heel off the floor.

    This move cause a sudden stretch that force the plantar fascia ligaments to expand strongly after being shorted all the night, the over stretch or trying to lengthening the ligaments stimulate all the pain right under the heel, making it so painful to walk at the early morning.

    That explains too why the pain seem to decrease after making few steps around as the ligaments start to get a degree of flexibility allowing the pain intensity to decrease a little bit, this pain is also felt after a long time of sitting on the working desk or standing through the daytime. , Pain can return dull or decrease in its intensity during the day or after performing light activities for short times, the reason for this is that the joint undergoes a degree of suppression in its stiffness degree as a result of both muscles and ligaments acquire looseness and flexibility with daily moves.

    However; pain degree can be increased to the maximum right after finishing any kind of physical activities or long walking as a result of the high strong inflammation that is formed right after stopping.

    Patients describe their pain to be very severe after the activities or in the other previous examples that were mentioned previously like prolonged standing, sitting, climbing stairs or in the early morning; to be as a burning or stabbing sensation, while it can be dull or mild during performing the activities themselves. , Patients can experience plantar fasciitis in one foot, or in both to be unilateral or bilateral, and pain to be decreased when resting, note that if you experience pain at nights, that is not from plantar fasciitis, other differential diagnosis medical conditions could be like arthritis (Inflammation of different body joints, in this case heel joint) or tarsal tunnel syndrome (Pressure on the tibial nerve running through the ankle, that can cause symptoms similar to the plantar fasciitis).

    These could be more likely causes, the later can affect the tibial nerve functions to give numbness, tenderness, and weakness of the muscles and tendons, but these symptoms would be felt at the whole foot area, and in the toes too, not only under the heel like in plantar fasciitis.

    Another condition is also called Calcaneal stress fracture that affects mainly the calcaneus bone at the heel, pain of this medical condition would be only restricted to the calcaneus area and to be tender on both its sides, and at the back of it too.

    Achilles tendinitis is the inflammation of the tendon located at the back and above the heel, and so making its pain to be located mainly at these points, pain and tenderness can be radiated under the heel too that would be correlated with plantar fasciitis pain, doctor correct diagnosis is required to evaluate your medical condition and to follow a therapy plan that best suits your medical case.
  3. Step 3: and gets worse following specific movements.

  4. Step 4: Think about whether the pain becomes duller throughout the day.

  5. Step 5: Consider other possible causes of pain.

Detailed Guide

The main symptom of plantar fasciitis is the pain that arise from the inflammation of the plantar fascia ligaments, pain is known to be located at the bottom of the foot down the heel with about four centimeters from it in the direction to your toes.

The site of pain is said to be tender while physical examination with signs of heel stiffness, pain and heel stiffness come from the inflammation process happening from the continuous irritation and stress exerted on the ligaments that can cause tiny tears in them.

Tearing can lead to fluids escaping from the soft tissues nearby and out of the small capillaries to form heel swelling and localized edema in a degree according to the severity of your ligaments’ injury, this can cause the pain to be felt at the bottom of the heel with a degree of motion limitation, that can cause patients to limp in severe cases.

Pain is prescribed to be severe and in his strongest conditions in the early morning when the feet first touch the floor, other known times of strongest pain attacks are when standing for prolonged times, sitting or lying down too long then standing or moving, climbing up stairs or walking tiptoes, these all are because of heel stiffness then trying to move the foot, that can bring all the pain when moving the plantar fascia ligaments.

Climbing stairs cause sudden sole stretch while moving your both feet on the stairs, which can trigger the severe pain at the irritated and weak ligaments, while sleeping the hours of night; the plantar fascia ligaments become more short and get stiffed for a long time, when the patient wake up and take his first step out of bed, pain is said to jump to the extreme when he raise his heel off the floor.

This move cause a sudden stretch that force the plantar fascia ligaments to expand strongly after being shorted all the night, the over stretch or trying to lengthening the ligaments stimulate all the pain right under the heel, making it so painful to walk at the early morning.

That explains too why the pain seem to decrease after making few steps around as the ligaments start to get a degree of flexibility allowing the pain intensity to decrease a little bit, this pain is also felt after a long time of sitting on the working desk or standing through the daytime. , Pain can return dull or decrease in its intensity during the day or after performing light activities for short times, the reason for this is that the joint undergoes a degree of suppression in its stiffness degree as a result of both muscles and ligaments acquire looseness and flexibility with daily moves.

However; pain degree can be increased to the maximum right after finishing any kind of physical activities or long walking as a result of the high strong inflammation that is formed right after stopping.

Patients describe their pain to be very severe after the activities or in the other previous examples that were mentioned previously like prolonged standing, sitting, climbing stairs or in the early morning; to be as a burning or stabbing sensation, while it can be dull or mild during performing the activities themselves. , Patients can experience plantar fasciitis in one foot, or in both to be unilateral or bilateral, and pain to be decreased when resting, note that if you experience pain at nights, that is not from plantar fasciitis, other differential diagnosis medical conditions could be like arthritis (Inflammation of different body joints, in this case heel joint) or tarsal tunnel syndrome (Pressure on the tibial nerve running through the ankle, that can cause symptoms similar to the plantar fasciitis).

These could be more likely causes, the later can affect the tibial nerve functions to give numbness, tenderness, and weakness of the muscles and tendons, but these symptoms would be felt at the whole foot area, and in the toes too, not only under the heel like in plantar fasciitis.

Another condition is also called Calcaneal stress fracture that affects mainly the calcaneus bone at the heel, pain of this medical condition would be only restricted to the calcaneus area and to be tender on both its sides, and at the back of it too.

Achilles tendinitis is the inflammation of the tendon located at the back and above the heel, and so making its pain to be located mainly at these points, pain and tenderness can be radiated under the heel too that would be correlated with plantar fasciitis pain, doctor correct diagnosis is required to evaluate your medical condition and to follow a therapy plan that best suits your medical case.

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Kimberly Ramos

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