Plantar fasciitis is a painful foot condition you can get due to a sports injury or wearing the wrong kind of shoes that don't support your feet. The plantar fascia is a band of tissue on the bottom of your foot. It connects your heel with your toes and it forms the arch of your foot. Stress on the tissue causes tiny tears that lead to pain and inflammation. It may take weeks for your foot to heal. One form of treatment that may help is massage therapy.

Gentle Foot Massage

Right after your injury, a gentle ice massage may be beneficial. The ice helps reduce swelling and can even relieve some of your pain. Gentle massage is probably necessary for the first several days due to your pain. The therapist may massage the bottom of your foot and your calf muscle too. This helps relax your foot and increase blood circulation that can enhance your healing.

Deep Tissue Massage

Deep tissue massage is a little more aggressive. To do this, the therapist applies pressure with the fingers or a device, so the deep tissues are stimulated. This type of massage can be painful, and leave you sore afterward. However, it may speed your healing. When the tears in your fascia begin to heal, adhesions form and they can lead to chronic pain. When the therapist presses on your foot and hits a painful spot, that is identified as a trigger point. Pressure is applied there to break up the adhesion. You may need to follow a deep tissue massage with ice treatments to prevent swelling and pain.

Stretching Exercises

In addition to kneading your muscles and fascia, the massage therapist may flex and stretch your foot to help release tension and adhesions. This helps the muscles in your foot and calf relax so they don't put strain on your plantar fascia. You may even want to do stretching exercises every day at home to keep your foot nice and limber. When you have plantar fasciitis, the pain is often worse when you first get out of bed in the morning. That is a good time to do stretching exercises. Once you've warmed up the muscles and tissues in your foot, the pain usually improves. You may even need to wear a foot brace at night that holds your foot in a stretched position, so you can avoid pain when you first walk after resting your feet all night.

You can give your foot a massage yourself, and that will help some, but to get the best results, you should see a massage therapist. It's often hard to position your own hands properly to massage your own feet therapeutically. Depending on the type of insurance you have, massage treatments may be covered if they are prescribed by a doctor or chiropractor. Even if you have to pay out of pocket, the expense if worth to get relief for your painful foot. Fr more information, contact professionals like those at Health Atlast Fountain Valley.