How Do I Know if I Have Plantar Fasciitis? Identifying Early Symptoms

Did you know that about one out of every 10 Americans suffers from plantar fasciitis?

You may be one of those people that has unbearable pain in the back of your foot. You could be one of those people that thinks they are going to develop this in the future.

So, you may ask yourself, “how do I know if I have plantar fasciitis?” Well, here is your guide to finding out.

What Is Plantar Fasciitis?

Before we can go further into this condition, you should understand exactly what this is. In the simplest terms, this is the pain that you experience between your heel bone and your tone.

It is the part of your foot that connects the two, so it is likely to be a vulnerable position within your feet. You will most likely feel this in the back of your foot, so there should be no denying what it is if the pain is only there.

Who Gets It?

The next question people may have is who is more likely to get this condition. Well, the first answer is women.

This condition generally affects women a lot more than men, and that gender is more vulnerable to it due to the way their bones are constructed and what they can do to set it off. That can mean not only being more likely to get it but also having more pain when you get it.

Another group of people that may be vulnerable to this is older people. When you think about the reasons described above, you can see how they can be applied to this group.

That is because older people tend to have weaker bones. So, when there is an injury or exerted effort in that part of your body, older people could take longer to recover from it than younger people.

Symptoms

Let’s go over some of the symptoms that you should be on the lookout for if you are worried about this.

The first sign is stabbing pain in the back of your foot by the heel. This can be pain that you can barely tolerate or it can make it difficult to put any weight on that part of your foot. Either way, if you notice it there, that is likely the biggest sign.

Another thing you should look out for is if there is more notable pain in the morning compared to other times of the day. That is because, with this condition, that time of day is likely when the pain is going to be the worst.

While those are the two biggest symptoms, you should look out for minor symptoms too to know when it is starting. As described above, just difficulty walking could be one of those things that you notice but are not in immense pain with. Other things that you should look out for are swelling and tenderness in that part of your foot.

If you look out for these symptoms, you may be able to catch this before it gets too bad on your feet.

Treatments

Believe it or not, there are some ways that you can help treat this condition. Here are a few of the most popular ways to do it.

Inserts

If you have a more minor form of plantar fasciitis, you may be able to cure it just by putting inserts in your shoes. These can help your feet relax in your sneakers and not put as much pressure on them.

Part of the reason for this is the material for inserts is typically softer and is designed to go around your foot. Here are the top 5 plantar fasciitis inserts recommended by this source.

Night Sprint

Another option you can go with is putting a night sprint on your foot. This can ease the pressure on your feet when you are walking around your house.

The good part of this option is it can both help you and have a minimal impact on your everyday life. If just putting it on around the house is good enough to help treat your foot, that means you can still go to work and go out in public in your normal shoes.

Physical Therapy

If this condition gets very serious for you, one option that you have is going to physical therapy. A licensed massage therapist can help you get rid of some of that pain in the back of your foot.

On top of this, licensed physical therapists can come up with treatment programs that will allow you to put more weight on your foot and help heal it.

Surgery

Finally, if you are desperate enough to get rid of the pain for good without the above options satisfying your needs, surgery can be an option that you take. This should be the last recourse though, considering how expensive this option can be.

However, if you have the right surgeon and you follow the treatment accordingly, this is certainly a way that you can get cured of this condition.

How Do I Know if I Have Plantar Fasciitis?

So, how do I know if I have plantar fasciitis? Well, the above notes should give you a better idea of when this is something that you should be worried about.

The first sign is severe pain in the back of your foot. However, do not ignore difficulty walking, swelling, and tenderness. Finally, look at the solutions above like insoles, physical therapy, and surgery that are available for you.

For more relevant information, check out our health section.