Plantar Fasciitis

If you have sharp, excruciating pain in your heel—and particularly if you experience it on the underside of your foot—then there’s a better-than-average chance you have plantar fasciitis.

Of course, the simple fact you have pain in your heel means the odds are decent this is what’s afflicting you. After all, plantar fasciitis is the leading source of adult heel pain.

Check out this page for more information on heel pain!

To further establish if this condition is why your heel hurts, think about when the pain is strongest. If it’s when you take the first steps of the day or following an extended period of rest, the likelihood further increases.

Understandably, those who suffer from plantar fasciitis usually want to know how long it is going to last.

If you don’t treat it and continue your normal routine, it can go on indefinitely.

But if you’re smart and address the problem with an appropriate treatment plan, it will get better over time. The actual amount of time does vary:

Heel pain, whether from this condition or another one (like Achilles tendinitis, bursitis, etc.), can take anywhere from several weeks to a year-and-a-half to go away. Obviously, the higher end of the spectrum is for particularly severe and stubborn cases.

(Again, there is a fair amount of variance.)

Most patients who adhere to their treatment plans start to experience lessened pain within six months.

Naturally, if you suffer from plantar fasciitis, you want to find relief as soon as possible.

To start, it’s worth noting that the fastest way to overcome a condition like this is to carefully follow your treatment plan!

That said, some treatment options can lead to quicker recovery times than others. Specifically, many patients have been quite pleased with how quickly our laser therapy works.

Wait, does laser therapy really get rid of heel pain??

At the end of the day, though, the fastest remedy will depend on an array of factors. When you come see us for treatment, we will work to create a plan that gets you back to your favorite activities in the shortest possible amount of time.

This is something patients often ask, but it’s kind of a tricky question. A better one is what’s the best treatment for you.

See, your treatment plan will likely be different than the one we created for the patient who had an appointment right before yours.

No matter what constitutes the best plantar fasciitis treatment for you, here’s some good news:

The condition is often successfully treated with conservative (nonsurgical) care.

Now, there are some cases where surgically detaching a severely inflamed fascia is the recommended course of action—they just tend to be rare.

(In the event we do recommend surgery, you can take comfort in the fact that our doctors are highly skilled and experienced in performing the appropriate procedures.)

Depending on what Dr. Lockwood recommends, your treatment plan might consist of:

• Rest
• Icing
• Medication
• Physical therapy
• Custom orthotics
• Laser therapy