Do you have annoying foot pain that will not go away? We know that foot pain and plantar fasciitis affects many adults, kids, athletes, and people who are on the move. In addition to the pain you may feel with each step you take, it often forces you to slow down many of your activities like exercising, running around with the kids, and duties at work and home.
In our previous blogs we discussed the main causes for foot pain and plantar fasciitis and what a quality examination should look like for a patient with foot pain. But knowing the cause of your pain and what a quality exam looks like does not solve the foot pain. You need to find the right treatment for your diagnosis.
Do you Need Surgery?
If you are in extreme foot pain and are desperate to return to your normal activities and lifestyle, you may be contemplating if you should have surgery. Plantar fasciectomies do have decent results if in fact plantar fasciitis is your true diagnosis. But remember from our first blog, “Why Do You Have Foot Pain?,” that many cases of foot pain are muscular in nature and not necessarily an issue with the plantar fascia. And why jump to surgery before trying out conservative care? (1).
Corticosteroid injections are often great for short-term pain relief but is not a recommended stand-alone treatment. The injections also slow down collagen growth, making you more susceptible to a plantar fascia rupture. So, even though the injections are great to provide temporary relief, they should not be the first line of defense (1).
What Treatment does Your Foot Need?
When it comes to foot pain and plantar fasciitis, the research overwhelmingly supports conservative care not only for pain reduction, but for improving function – which is where conservative care rises above invasive care options (1-3). Surgery and injections certainly have their time and place in the world of medicine, but they only focus on the site of pain – the foot.
As discussed in our previous blog, “A Thorough Exam for Your Foot Pain,” a good exam guides the path for specific treatment because it provides valuable information into what is actually causing the foot pain. This allows treatment to be individualized because each patient is a little different, as is every foot and every injury.
A surgery on the foot will often help symptoms of the foot, but it will not correct a lack of ankle, knee, or hip mobility which may have caused the initial issue. With conservative therapies such as manipulation, exercise rehabilitation, and manual therapy; we can focus on reducing pain and fixing what caused the injury to occur in the first place.
By aiming to fix the issue that brought on your foot pain, this can help prevent future injuries as well and improve athletic performance!
A 2018 review of the research suggests that manipulation, soft tissue therapy, stretching, and exercises are “clearly associated with improved function” for plantar fasciitis patients and therefore are effective therapies (2). Other research has shown that manipulation and massage can significantly reduce foot pain and increase range of motion in patients with plantar fasciitis (4).
At St. Johns Chiropractic & Performance, we are well trained in manipulation, manual therapy, exercise rehabilitation, and more to help you get over your foot pain and functioning better than before! We let our thorough examination guide our treatment and it all starts with getting to hear your story. Stop letting your foot pain slow you down!
Be sure to visit our YouTube and other social media pages for videos on how we evaluate and treat foot pain and plantar fasciitis!
