Causes of plantar fasciitis
Causes of plantar fasciitis include prior ankle sprains, inadequate arch support, and prolonged periods of standing or weight bearing all of which an athlete is susceptible to.
Athletes with Plantar Fasciitis experience pain on the bottom of their feet. It may start from the base of the foot and in some cases go all the way to the toes. The heel feels like pins and needles when getting out of bed on mornings or after prolonged periods of sitting. The condition gets its name from plantar fasciitis, a thick fibrous tissue that supports the arch of the feet, and acts as a shock absorber. Recent studies have shown that plantar fasciitis commonly affects runners, basketball players and soccer players. A study by the National Institute of health in 2012 examined elite athlete who took part in the Olympics.
Relationship Between Ankle Injuries and Plantar Fasciitis
The results of the study showed that 4.5 to 10% of the runner reported to have suffered from plantar fasciitis at some point. The pain athletes with the condition experience at the bottom of the foot is worse in the morning when they get out of bed and after sitting for prolonged periods. The common causes of plantar fasciitis include previous ankle injuries, inadequate arch support, and prolonged periods of standing or weight lifting.
Athletes who have suffered prior ankle injuries are at a higher risk of developing plantar fasciitis because the injuries alter the load mechanics and weight distribution through the ankle. This overloads the heel, causing micro-avulsion fractures that manifest as pain. If you’re are an athlete suffering from plantar fasciitis, you don’t have to suffer in silence. There’re physiotherapy exercises that helps release the tension and pressure around the ankle by redistributing weight to allow the ankle to move freely. Before we tell you more about Athletes and Plantar Fasciitis with examples, let’s first look at how the condition is diagnosed.
How Is Plantar Fasciitis Diagnosed?
The most common symptom of plantar fasciitis is pain inside the ages of heel that is worse in the morning. However, after moving around you may notice the pain disappearing for a while before coming back after prolonged periods of rest. Moreover, you may notice the pain when lifting heavy weights or when walking barefooted or with shoes without arch support. The pain caused by plantar fasciitis typically doesn’t make one stay awake all night, or experience any sensations like burning under the foot.
Athlete with plantar fasciitis who seek treatment from sport medicine physicians are subjected to a rigorous physical examination before the history of condition is taken. In most cases physicians will examine how the athletes walks, and whether the athletes have a flat or an arched foot. The physician may also stretch the toes to see whether the pain increases in addition to checking the flexibility of calf muscles. If the doctor suspects that the pain is caused by a fracture in the heel, he/she may press your heel to test whether you feel more pain.
The examination may also include an X-ray if the physician suspects that you have a stress-related fracture. The last test a physician is likely to run is an ultrasound test to look for signs of plantar fasciitis such as the thickening or tearing of the ankle muscles. What if you’re diagnosed with plantar fasciitis? The good news is you’re not alone; and there’re multiple options to treat the condition.
Some of the prominent sportsmen that have suffered from plantar fasciitis recently based on an article published by the USA Today include Jasmine Thomas, WNBA, Connecticut starter; Alberto Pujol, a third baseman with the Tampa Bay Rays; Evan Longoria and Antonio Gates of San Diego Chargers; Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers; and Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls. Some of the teams have decided to give affected players extended rest periods in order to allow the injury to heal. However, this approach doesn’t guarantee that the athlete will be ready to play next season.
Plantar fasciitis can linger on for a while, which makes it one of the most difficult injuries to deal with because there’s little blood flow to the heel. Furthermore, any physical activities such as jumping or running may reinjure the tissue interfering with the efficacy of treatments such as physical therapies and medication.
Nevertheless, physicians consider surgery as the last treatment option because full recovery takes a long time; up to a year. Data that captures the exact prevalence of the condition among athletes is unavailable, but self-reports from athletes and those from orthopedics show that theirs is an increase in the prevalence of the condition than before. So,
what could be the cause of the increase in the cases of Athletes and Plantar Fasciitis?
Phenomenon of plantar fasciitis
Some orthopedics have come up with theories to explain the phenomenon. One of the explanations is that specializing athletes to specific sports at a young age deny them the opportunity to cross-train. Performing moves associated with specific sports repetitively makes athletes to suffer injuries.
Before sports was specialized, young athletes sometimes could play three sports for example, baseball, basketball and football at ago. Nowadays, young talented athletes play the same sport throughout the year, and spend a significant amount time indoors playing games and watching TV. This increases the chance of suffering an injury.
A second theory that explains the increase of cases of plantar fasciitis among athletes is lack of enough stretching, especially calf stretching, which is effective in preventing ankle injuries. Regardless of the cause of your condition, physiotherapists have come up with effective therapies that consider different factors during treatment.
One of the most effective treatments targets gastrocnemius and soleus muscles (calf muscle). We would like to conclude by listing some of the calf exercises done during physiotherapy sessions with athletes with plantar fasciitis.
The Four Best Calf-Muscle Strengthening Exercises
1. The Double-Leg Calf Raise-This is one the oldest strength training exercise that uses your body weight to tone and strengthen gastrocnemius and soleus muscles.
2. Single-Leg Calf Raise- This exercise makes your calf muscle extra strong. You can make the exercise intense by doing it with one leg.
3. Seated Calf Raise-This exercise works both the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. The exercise can be performed at home or in the gym with a calf exercise machine.
4. Calf-Building Sports-Taking part in sports like walking, running and hiking tones and strengthen the calf muscles.
If you’ve read through the article, now you know facts on Athletes and Plantar Fasciitis. If there are important facts left out, feel free to share.
Disclaimer: This article is strictly for informative purposes, and nothing contained therein is intended to substitute for medical advice. If you feel you may be experiencing symptoms of one of the conditions we’ve just covered, seek medical attention at once.
