Plantar Fasciitis Chiropractor in Bellevue, NE

chiropractor treating patient with plantar fasciitis

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar Fasciitis is one of the most common types of foot pain. Plantar fasciitis is caused by straining of the ligament that supports your arch. Repeated strain can cause tiny tears in the ligament. These tears can lead to pain and swelling. The role of the fascia is to absorb shock and transfer forces through your foot while you are walking or standing. The fascia itself is a very thick and strong structure, which for the most part is avascular (having little blood supply) which makes the healing time very slow and time consuming.

What Causes Plantar Fasciitis?

Your feet roll inward too much when you walk (also called pronation of the foot).
You have high arches or flat feet (fallen Arches).
You wear shoes with a high heel.
You walk, stand, or run for long periods of time, especially on hard surfaces.
You are overweight.
You have a tight Posterior chain (Achilles Tendon, Calf, Hamstring)

Most people with plantar fasciitis have pain when they take their first steps after they get out of bed or sit for a long time. You may have less stiffness and pain after you take a few steps. But your foot may hurt more as the day goes on. It may hurt the most when you climb stairs or after you stand for a long time. Pain is described as sharp or stabbing in nature and typically located at the medial aspect of the heel.

Typical Pain Location for Plantar Fasciitis

foot showing where plantar fasciitis is commonly experienced

Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis in Bellevue, NE

Conservative measures should always be your first option for plantar fasciitis, however many options are used treat the symptoms. These options include:

Physical therapy (ultrasound, taping, etc.)
Night splints
Orthotics
Steroid shots
Surgery

Why is Active Release (ART) Such a Successful Treatment for Heel Pain?

Currently we are seeing a number of patients at the clinic for Plantar Fasciitis and are treating them with ART. In our clinical practice nothing seems to have quite the lasting, effective, rapid response to Plantar Fasciitis such as ART. Many of our patients have been suffering from pain in the foot for months and have tried many other modalities with limited to no relief. ART treatments for plantar fasciitis designed to target soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves) that may surround, attach to, be above or below the plantar fascia causing it to become stretched, irritated or inflamed and break up any problem area providing decreased pain and increased healing.

Various Structures Involved in Plantar Fasciitis

Active Release has specific techniques for the structures listed below:

Plantar Fascia
Flexor Digitorum Brevis
Quadratus Plantae
Flexor Hallucis Brevis
Abductor Hallucis
Abductor Digiti Minimi
Lumbricals

The Behm Muscle & Joint Clinic Approach to Plantar Fasciitis

Behm Muscle & Joint Clinic takes a dynamic approach to treating Plantar Fasciitis. A full examination involving: functional movement screen, range of motion tests, gait analysis will be conducted on the patient prior to treatment. Depending upon what structures were found to be causing the problem we utilize Active Release, Myofascial Release, Dry Needling to treat not only the soft tissues of the foot but the musculature and fascia above the foot which is connected to the posterior chain. Utilizing the results of your gait analysis we implement joint mobilizations and rehabilitation exercises to correct muscles imbalances of the foot and help restore a more neutral gait.

Dr. Behm is a certified ART provider and has helped many patients with plantar fasciitis. If you or someone you know in the Bellevue, NE or Greater Omaha area is suffering from pain in the foot/heel contact our clinic at 402-292-1450 or schedule an appointment online. Our clinic is in-network with the majority of health insurance companies.

Content written by Dr. Adam Behm, DC, CCSP®

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