11 home remedies for plantar fasciitis

Effective Home Treatments for Plantar Fasciitis: 11 Remedies

Plantar fasciitis is a common foot condition that occur in the heel area of the foot. When you wake up and stretch and feels a shooting pain in your heel is when you understand that it’s plantar fasciitis. There are many home remedies that can help you to get relief.

What causes plantar fasciitis? 

Common causes of plantar fasciitis can happen due to overuse, like standing on your feet all day, wearing the wrong shoe size for a long period of time or playing high-impact sports, which can damage the plantar fascia, which can also cause swelling or discomfort. Think of the time when you used plantar fascia over the course of your life when you have used your feet, so it is possible to get a strain or tear in the ligament. However, it is very common in the age 40 to 70. 

Women in their late pregnancy can feel the pain in their heels. However, people who gain sudden weight gain and structural foot issues have a high chance of getting plantar fasciitis. Distance runner or people who work and stay on their feet for continuous long hours have a chance of getting plantar fasciitis.

How do you know if it is plantar fasciitis? 

There are many conditions that can cause pain in heels, and some can be as serious as plantar fasciitis. The plan in plantar fasciitis is almost constant and can also spread to other parts of the foot through the legs, making it hard to distinguish from any other condition.  However, it is possible that people get confused between Achilles tendonitis, Arthritis, Sciatica and plantar fasciitis, and sometimes, it is possible to have two different conditions at the same time. 

Sometimes, plantar fasciitis symptoms can be the same as Achilles tendonitis. The pain in the Achilles tendon occurs between the calf muscle and the heel bone. However, in plantar fasciitis it occurs in underneath your foot. To know you condition better consult your doctor, as you doctor will diagnose the condition with some physical exam to check the level of pain in your feet for inflammation. They may do some imaging test, like MRI or X-ray to know better about the situation.

 
11 Home remedies to treat plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is the condition in which you get pain in your foot as it can be painful but treating it is easy as the treatment can be done at home using home remedies. However, only 5% of people need surgery for plantar fasciitis, even you doctor will first suggest you to treat it by home remedies or medicine. Here are some amazing home remedies to treat your heel pain.

1.Apply essential oil

You can treat plantar fasciitis by applying essential oil on the soles of your feet. It is a very common and easy process to get relief from heel pain. The essential oils have anti-inflammatory properties, which help make it possible to treat heel pain that is caused by inflammation. There are a variety of options for essential oils to choose from, like lavender, frankincense, peppermint, and eucalyptus oil. When you use the essential oil for foot massage, add a base oil like coconut oil to make it easier to apply. 

Another method to get relief from plantar fasciitis pain is to take warm water and add a few drops of your favourite essential oil with some rock salt or bath salt and soak your feet every night before going to bed till the pain goes away. However, these methods of using essential oil for heel pain/plantar fasciitis can be used but if the pin doesn’t go away with time consult your doctor for better treatment. 

2. Try using an ice pack

You can use an ice pack for heel pain and for reducing inflammation; it is one of the simplest ways to get quick relief. An ice cube can work wonders for massages; think of an ice pack and how much good it can do for heel pain and sore muscles. You can use a thin towel or cloth to cover the ice pack to prevent frostbite and put it over the painful area for 15 to 20 minutes, approximately two to three times a day. Or you can roll an ice cube under your foot like a ball, use a frozen bottle of water and roll it under your foot like a roller. The ice pack will give you a chill sensation for a while, but the cold will numb the inflamed tissues, reduce swelling and provide immediate pain relief. Thus, any type of treatment that helps reduce the temperature of the affected area will help with pain relief and work wonders for plantar fasciitis. 

3. Wear day and night splints

Plantar fasciitis can get worse in the morning for some people as they sleep with their feet pointed down,  which can worsen the pain; for those people, it is suggested they wear night splints to keep their feet at a 90-degree angle to provide a constant stretch even in your sleep. During your sleep or when you are resting, the connective tissues in the feet tend to get shortened and contract as we naturally curl the toes. Re-stretching them when you place your feet can be a little painful when you are suffering from plantar fasciitis. To prevent this, you can also use the splint during the day, as the splint keeps your feet at 90 degrees, is less cumbersome, and is more comfortable. Wearing a splint during the day will not affect your movement, while at night, it will flex your position and help to stretch the arch of your foot. 

4. Get good rest

Sometimes,it is important for a person to take rest after along day work. Plantar fasciitis for some people is the indication that they simply need rest, mainly for those who do high-impact workout or stand for too long for there work. Taking rest for few days can simply help you in reducing inflammation and let your plantar fascia  heal, a good rest is an effective remedy for many health conditions. 

5. Give yourself a foot massage

To get relief from heel pain, you can simply massage your soles, especially your heels, to soothe the pain. Massaging techniques can include simple massage using your thumb on the heels, or you can use a golf ball to roll under your feet. Use essential oil and massage your arches and heels with the diluted essential oil and base oil to massage your pain. However, you can take a small tennis ball or golf ball, put your foot on the ball, hold a stable item for better balance, and now roll the ball under your arches for pain relief massage. 

6. Improve your diet plan

When you plan to improve your diet, you are already taking a step ahead towards the healing process. As you start consuming a healthy diet, it will aid in weight loss and reduce the strain on those ligaments as you place your feet down. This balanced diet has anti-inflammatory properties present in them with nuts; nuts are rich sources of Omega 3 and monounsaturated fats; healthy diet includes seeds like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and flax seeds; fruits and vegetables have antioxidants and vitamins, which are good for the bones and muscles.

 
7. Drinking healthier

Drinking healthy is as important as eating healthy; adding shakes, fruit juices and vegetable smoothies to your diet can be an amazing source of nutrients. Cutting sugary drinks and alcohol can help you start a healthy and improved diet for yourself. Replacing all these unhealthy drinks with healthy low-sodium juice, low-fat milk and simply drinking more water can ensure the healing process and making sure that you are consuming right amount of nutrients for your body, healing in muscles and tissues works fast.

8. Wearing supportive shoes

Plantar fasciitis can also happen because of the shoes you wear, as not all shoes support the arches of your foot. However, shoes can have a huge impact on your heel pain. To get rid of the pain, you can add inserts to your shoes for extra arch support. You can wear the outsoles, or you can even mould the inside of the shoe according to the shape of your foot. The best you can do is replace the old shoes that are worn out and offer no support to your arch and heels. 

9. Take NSAIDs

Other options for plantar fasciitis pain relief can be NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs),like ibuprofen as it work in reducing the inflammation in body and can give you relief in like 10 in. Make sure you don’t take these drugs/medication more then recommended by your doctor.

10. Stretch a little

Before coming out of thew bed in the morning you should try to stretch a little to reduce the tissue strain on the plantar fascia, stretching can help in weight bearing more easy. You can try some light exercises that help stretch the calf muscle and relieve plantar fasciitis pain. 

You can try calf muscle stretch, such as standing calf stretch. Or you can do wall pull-ups to stretch your legs, feet and calf. It will help in soothing muscle stain and can help you with managing plantar fasciitis pain better. 

11. Try to lose weight

When a person is suffering from plantar fasciitis, it can be an indication of the person being overweight. Whereas it is not important that you have plantar fasciitis because you are overweight, sometimes wearing the wrong shoes for too long or maybe because of standing for long hours can also be the reason. Thus, carrying extra weight can put more pressure on the feet, heels and plantar fascia. Trying to lose a few kgs/pounds can help you reduce some pressure from the plantar fascia and help you with pain relief. You can consult your doctor and make a properly planned diet and exercise routine for better results.
 

Conclusion:-

Plantar fasciitis is a common condition of legs and heel pain, as it happen due to some reasons like standing for to long, wearing wrong shoes or being overweight. This is a common problem and can be treated easily at home but if you still feel sharp shooting pain after trying home remedies, consult your doctor immediately.