The plantar fascia is a strong and resilient tissue that spans the underside of your foot, extending from the heel all the way to the base of your toes. Its primary role is to provide support to the arch of your foot, ensuring its proper alignment and stability. Additionally, the plantar fascia acts as a cushion, effectively absorbing the impact that occurs while walking or engaging in physical activities, thus reducing the occurrence of shock-related discomfort.
When a muscle is exposed to repetitive stress, it can lead to the development of microtears on the surface of the muscle, which can cause feelings of pain and discomfort. These microtears occur as a result of the constant strain and overuse of the muscle, which can occur due to various factors such as excessive exercise or repetitive movements. The occurrence of microtears and subsequent pain serves as a warning sign that the muscle is being overworked and needs time to rest and recover. It is important to listen to these signals from our bodies to prevent further damage and promote optimal muscle health.
Electrical Stimulation
Plantar Fasciitis, a common foot condition causing heel pain, can be effectively treated with electrical stimulation. Also known as EMS or NMES, this technique has shown positive results. EMS stimulates the production of endorphins, natural pain relievers in the body, providing relief from the discomfort associated with Plantar Fasciitis. Additionally, by increasing blood flow to the affected area, electrical stimulation promotes healing of the plantar fascia. This safe and non-invasive treatment option has gained popularity due to its effectiveness in managing the symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis.
Electrical impulses are delivered via electrode pads through the skin and nerve endings to block pain signals from reaching the brain and replace them with a soothing massage-like tingling sensation. They also raise endorphin levels while increasing blood flow to promote healing in affected areas.
EMS therapy is a noninvasive solution that can be used to address numerous conditions, including plantar fasciitis, fibromyalgia, muscle weakness and poor motor control. It can be utilized alone or combined with other forms of therapy like ultrasound and massage for maximum benefit.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound imaging can be an invaluable aid when diagnosing plantar fasciitis. By helping identify any nerve issues that might be the source of your discomfort, ultrasound can provide valuable clues that may lead to surgery or medication treatment options.
An ultrasound involves lying on a table and exposing the area for examination. Once there, a technician applies gel onto your skin in order to reduce air pockets from blocking sound waves that create images of that area.
After applying the gel, your provider will use a transducer device that sends sound waves into your body and collects any that bounce back – turning these soundwaves into electrical signals that can be read by a computer.
Studies on ultrasound as a potential treatment for plantar fasciitis have produced mixed results. While ultrasound appears to help relieve pain, other noninvasive options such as stretching exercises and physical therapy seem more effective.
Massage
Massage can be an effective way to both relieve heel pain and increase blood flow, as well as increasing flexibility and breaking up scar tissue. In addition, its pain-relieving benefits, massage can also increase flexibility and break up scar tissue formation.
Performing daily self-massage sessions is beneficial for those suffering from plantar fasciitis, as part of their rehabilitation plan or treatment strategy.
Massage can be an effective treatment option for treating plantar fasciitis; begin at the base of the heel where your plantar fascia connects with the heel bone, using medium-to-firm pressure and working lengthwise in this fashion for two minutes across all of your plantar fascia.
EMS therapy uses electrical impulses to relax or strengthen muscles, making it particularly helpful for patients suffering from chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia as well as muscle spasms or poor blood circulation.
TENS
TENS is an effective, short-term pain reliever that utilizes electrical pulses to produce mild tingling or buzzing sensations in your feet, providing short relief without risk or disruption to daily activities. TENS treatments can easily be done at home.
Plantar Fasciitis cannot be completely treated, but treatment may help provide temporary relief from pain. Studies have also demonstrated how massage therapy improves blood flow to the area, which in turn can help decrease inflammation and pain levels in that spot.
Conventional TENS (low frequency and low intensity) relieves pain through activating large diameter non-noxious afferents within dermatomes corresponding to the source of pain, leading to inhibition of second order nociceptive transmission neurones in the central nervous system and consequently blocking them as pain generators.
Higher intensity TENS triggers A-delta afferent activity to activate small diameter (A-delta) fibres responsible for activating midbrain periaqueductal grey and rostral ventromedial medulla structures and pain inhibitory pathways (the so-called “busy line effect”). In doing so, these pathways block off pain facilitatory pathways while simultaneously decreasing nociceptor cell activity for up to 2 hours post spinal cord transection.
You might also like to read:
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar Fasciitis and Footwear Rotation
Plantar Fasciitis and Nordic Walking
