As an avid runner John used to spend more than an hour a day 5 days a week running. In a good weather he used to put on his running shoes and go out to Central-Park. Every time it was too cold or too hot outside he used to go to the fitness center and run on the treadmill. One day he woke up feeling pain on his feet as he stepped out of bed to the bath room. The pain wasn’t very hard but he could feel it. After a few days the same pain was harder particularly every time John got up and started to walk. It was heel pain and he went to his doctor to come back with the diagnosis – Plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis is a foot disorder usually felt as heel pain. There are more than 2 million new cases of this condition reported every year in the USA only. That pain is felt especially when taking the first steps in the morning or after spending some time sitting. The reason for this pain is damage to the fascia band at the bottom of the foot. This tissue is called the plantar fascia and it connects the heel bone to the toes. Usually this damage is caused by overload of the foot. Heel pain remission time can be very long because the overloading of the foot is a part of the patient’s daily habit and the foot gets injured repeatedly.
Plantar fasciitis is usually developed by people between 40 and 60 years old but it is also very common in athletes and individuals who engage in exercises that place a lot of tension on the plantar fascia such as dancing and aerobics. Other factors that increase the risk include overweight, inappropriate footwear as well as thin soled shoes and shoes with high heels, and occupations that require using the feet a lot. The painful disorder is a little more common in women than men.
There are a number of ways to reduce the pain of plantar fasciitis and taping is one of the most basic and efficient help methods. It is mostly common among sportsmen as it can either reduce as well as assist to avoid the pain because of stretching and tearing of the plantar fascia. The tape that is applied in strips across the plantar fascia controls the movement of the fascia and enables it to rest without disrupting the mobility of the foot. The basic idea of taping is to reduce the pressure on the foot by decreasing the degree of stretching which makes it very good for quick pain reduction along with stopping the pain from developing.
The taping technique is very easy. You can apply the tape across the plantar fascia as the day begins or tape your foot prior exercise. In any case, the tape should be removed before going to bed to enable the skin to breathe. Always apply the tape on clean and dry skin. The success of taping relies on severity of plantar fasciitis. In acute cases, taping alone may not be enough to ease the ache and should be used in combination with inserts or anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen. However, pain relievers do not deal with the root cause. For that reason taping is most efficient when combined with treatments techniques that are Designed to deal with the reason of the condition and not only the symptoms.
Plantar fasciitis taping is also effective as a preventive measure and may enable you to stop developing this painful problem again. Along with taping, you have to find your footwear very carefully and make sure that it offers good arch support along with maintain a healthy body weight to minimize the tension on your feet.