Plantar fasciitis is a common yet painful condition of the foot, primarily in the heel and arch, caused when the fascia on the bottom of the foot becomes inflamed. This is caused by a painful stretching or micro-tearing of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a fibrous or tendon-like structure that courses along the bottom of the foot, connecting the toes and calcaneus or heel bone.
The condition is a familiar complaint of athletes who do a lot of running and jumping. People who wear the wrong shoes and are overweight also come to our offices for plantar fasciitis treatment.
Not only does this inflammation create pain in the heel and foot, but heel spurs often accompany this condition, which are also painful. Heel spurs develop because the body is trying to compensate for the injury by laying down calcium in the heel bone, which results in a spur. Our medical professionals at Arizona Foot Doctors are pleased to offer our patients treatment for plantar fasciitis as well as heel spurs.