Risk Factors For Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is the fibrous tissue that connects the heel to the base of the toes. Plantar fasciitis can cause severe pain in the feet. Plantar fasciitis used to be called gonorrheal heel. It was mistakenly thought that plantar fasciitis was related to the sexually-transmitted disease gonorrhea.

There are certain risk factors that increase a person’s chance of developing plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is caused by overuse. People who are overweight or have jobs that require standing or walking on hard surfaces for long periods of time are prone to developing plantar fascia. Another name for plantar fasciitis is policeman’s heel.

Plantar fasciitis is more prevalent in women due to the inadequate support in shoes that they often wear. Flat feet or very high arches are risk factors for plantar fasciitis. Wearing shoes with stiff or thin soles can cause plantar fasciitis. Shoes should have good heel support or wearing them can put you at risk for this condition.

Walking or running regularly for exercise can increase a person’s risk for plantar fascia. Walkers and joggers who have tight calf muscles prevent them from flexing their ankles normally. This makes them especially at risk. Plantar Fasciitis is sometimes referred to as jogger’s heel or tennis heel. The pain usually occurs after exercise. The worst pain is usually felt first thing on the morning.

People tend to lose some of the resiliency of their ligaments as they get older which makes elderly people more susceptible. Arthritis can make a person more prone to developing plantar fasciitis.

Even small changes in foot movement during normal daily activity can lead to plantar fasciitis. It’s relatively easy to accidentally overstretch the plantar fascia. The best way to prevent plantar fasciitis is to wear shoes that have proper support.