Athletico Health Resources

Taut bands can exist within your body that disrupt blood flow to your muscles. The affected area can become an acidic environment and begin to radiate pain elsewhere in the body. Trigger points are when those taut bands start to refer pain elsewhere. A technique called dry needling can help with this referred or local pain. Dry needling is a skilled intervention that uses a thin filiform needle to penetrate the skin and release underlying myofascial trigger points, muscular and connective tissues. It can help manage neuromusculoskeletal pain and movement impairments. Dry needling is used for a variety of diagnoses, from headaches and migraines to low back pain. This helpful technique is also a treatment option for plantar fasciitis. This condition often affects endurance athletes.

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In the modern world of reality television, exaggerated media headlines and fabricated statistics, deciphering truth from deception often seems to lead to even greater confusion. This is often true with medical conditions – where you are prone to read one thing on the internet, hear something different from your workout buddy and receive a third opinion from your neighbor whose aunt suffered from the same problem.

To provide clarity on some misconceptions about plantar fasciitis (and help you avoid a Google search on the condition, which may result in a headache), I am separating fact from fiction below:

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The plantar fascia is a thick band of fibrous connective tissue on the bottom of the foot that extends from the heel to the toes. While this location ideally positions the plantar fascia to fulfill its role as a stabilizing structure, it ultimately predisposes the area to repetitive use and the potential for inflammation and chronic tissue changes.

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Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. This condition impacts the plantar fascia, which is a thick band of fibrous connective tissue on the bottom of the foot that extends from the heel to the toes. Based on its location and makeup, the plantar fascia is ideally positioned to maintain and support the arch on the bottom of the foot. However, it is not designed to be the primary stabilizing structure.

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Are you suffering from pain at the bottom of the heel? It is important to identify when symptoms occur, where they occur and what the symptoms feel like in order to classify the pain as plantar fasciitis (PF).

Common PF symptoms include pain with initial steps in the morning, pain with steps after prolonged rest and pain that is relieved with activity. Many patients wonder, what is causing these symptoms and why are they occurring? Also, how can physical therapy help relieve these symptoms? Discover the answer to these questions below.

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Have you ever heard of fascia? In the physical medicine world, fascia has a lot of buzz right now. We have known about fascia for a long time now, but are only now starting to realize how amazing and important it truly is. If the word sounds familiar to you, you are probably thinking of terms like ‘plantar fasciitis’ or ‘myofascial release’. And if you haven’t heard this term, well you’re in the right place! (more…)

Plantar fasciitis can be a real pain in the foot. Plantar fasciitis is the medical term for inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is the connective tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot. If you’ve ever had pain in the bottom of your foot with the first few steps out of bed in the morning, you’ve probably had some experience with this painful condition. (more…)