Symptoms and Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis« Back to Questions List

Plantar fasciitis is a chronic, sterile inflammation of the plantar fascia. Its main symptom is pain, and one of the typical symptoms of plantar fasciitis is that the pain is particularly severe after resting, sleeping, or simply walking, but gradually decreases or even disappears during walking.

Because the plantar fascia is relatively tight after resting, the pain is more intense if the plantar fascia is stretched when you first walk. As walking time increases, the pain disappears after the plantar fascia is stretched.

The treatment of plantar fasciitis is generally conservative and the first recommendation is physical therapy, specifically shock waves. Shock waves have a strong penetrating power and are very effective in treating plantar fasciitis. The second can be combined with physiotherapy equipment, such as medium frequency, electromagnetic therapy, etc.

Alternatively, topical creams or oral medications may be used. Although topical creams and oral medications are helpful in relieving symptoms, they are still limited in their ability to treat fasciitis or eradicate the fascia.
Because the skin of the foot is relatively thick, the use of topical creams alone may not be able to penetrate the local area, especially the deeper layers. The amount of oral medication that reaches the foot through the bloodstream is also very limited. Therefore, physical therapy, especially shock wave therapy, is preferred for the treatment of plantar fasciitis.