Plantar fasciitis can be very painful.

I was at a Ewomen business luncheon yesterday and as we always do we introduce our business to the ladies and other business owners around the table.  I was sitting next to Joy Heartsong of Heartsong Healing and she was speaking about a client that had plantar fasciitis and after two sessions she had cleared up his symptoms and he walked out pain free.

Jesse James Retherford explains it best; the plantar fascia is a thick fibrous band of connective tissue located on the bottom of the foot. The plantar fascia attaches to the heel bone and extends along the sole of the foot towards the five toes. Its function is to help maintain the arch of the foot, and it acts as a powerful spring with a fundamental role in shock absorption and forward propulsion.

It starts out as a dull pain and usually worse early morning until you get up and move around some.  Some who suffer may also suffer from knee pain and hurt off and on for years before becoming unbearable.  Plantar fasciitis is caused by stress to the soft tissue that supports the arch of the foot. It is possible to develop plantar fasciitis from an acute injury, although it is far more commonly a result of repetitive trauma to the foot from walking or running with poor gait mechanics.


The arch of the foot acts like a shock-absorbing spring. With proper walking or running mechanics, the arch absorbs and releases the impact of each step, preventing damage to the knees and hips. The problem that most people have is that they heel strike, a dysfunctional gait pattern developed due to previous injury or poor shoe selection. Some have been taught to run heel to toe.  When you heel strike, you bypass the natural spring of the arch, and the impact of each step is driven through your heel. This causes an ongoing series of micro traumas directly to the heel — where the plantar fascia attaches — and through the soft tissue of the knee and hip. The repeated stress and strain from each step you take can cause tiny tears in the ligaments and tendons and build restriction in the calf muscles.

This is also a very common occurrence with overweight individuals.

There are several ways to treat plantar fasciitis;

• deep tissue massage (i know a great massage therapist)
• healing touch therapy (a couple of sessions)
• self myofascial release (I can teach you what you can do at home)
• get properly fitted shoes (we have several running stores to choose from)
• flexibility and corrective exercise (A few sessions with me can get you going)

Do yourself a favor and seek advice from the professionals before you start out your running program, it can make all the difference in how you treat your body.