The health care provider will perform a physical exam. This may show:

• Tenderness on the bottom of your foot
• Flat feet or high arches
• Mild foot swelling or redness
• Stiffness or tightness of the arch in the bottom of your foot.

X-rays may be taken to rule out other problems.

Your health care provider will usually first recommend:

• Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) to reduce pain and inflammation
• Heel and foot stretching exercises
• Night splints to wear while sleeping to stretch the foot
• Resting as much as possible for at least a week
• Wearing shoes with good support and cushions

Other steps to relieve pain include:

• Apply ice to the painful area. Do this at least twice a day for 10 - 15 minutes, more often in the first couple of days.
• Try wearing a heel cup, felt pads in the heel area, or shoe inserts.
• Use night splints to stretch the injured fascia and allow it to heal.

If these treatments do not work, your health care provider may recommend:

• Wearing a boot cast, which looks like a ski boot, for 3-6 weeks. It can be removed for bathing.
• Custom-made shoe inserts (orthotics)
• Steroid shots or injections into the heel

Sometimes, foot surgery is needed.

Nonsurgical treatments almost always improve the pain. Treatment can last from several months to 2 years before symptoms get better. Most patients feel better in 9 months. Some people need surgery to relieve the pain.

Pain may continue despite treatment. Some people may need surgery. Surgery has its own risks. Talk to your doctor about the risks of surgery.

Contact your health care provider if you have symptoms of plantar fasciitis.

Making sure your ankle, Achilles tendon, and calf muscles are flexible can help prevent plantar fasciitis.

Wapner KL, Parekh SG. Heel pain. In: DeLee JC, Drez D Jr, Miller MD, eds. DeLee and Drez’s Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2009:section F.

Abu-Laban RV, Ho K. Ankle and foot. In: Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, et al, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2009:chap 55.

Silverstein JA, Moeller JL, Hutchinson MR.Common issues in orthopedics. In: Rakel RE, ed. Textbook of Family Medicine. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2011:chap 30