Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition of the foot characterized by pain at the bottom of the heel. It is an overuse condition caused by inflammation and degeneration of the planar fascia, a band running at the bottom of the foot. People who have over- pronated feet (flat foot) or tight calf muscles are at increased risk.

Pain is usually worse in the morning, especially the first step in the morning. It improves after a few minutes but can worsen during the day with prolonged walking.

Your doctor may prescribe you short course of an anti-inflammatory medications for temporary pain relief. Exercise and stretching helps you reduce the tension in the plantar fascia. Orthotics may help restore normal foot biomechanics. Other modalities such as soft tissue massage, electrotherapy can be used as adjuncts. In recalcitrant cases, a corticosteroid injection might help with the pain but has side-effects which must be discussed with the doctor.