Plantar Fasciitis(PF) is a common health issue amongst the general population – it’s thought to account for 15% of adult foot complaints and runners are in the “at risk” group with prevalence rate in athletes around 21%. Plantar fasciitis accounts for about 10% of all running related injuries. PF usually develops with repeated impact or pressure, which, over time, can cause damage to the tissue in the foot, so it’s easy to see why running may contribute to this condition.
Today we are going to discuss;
1. What is plantar fasciitis and what are the risk factors and triggers for runners to be aware of?
2. A focus on the inflammatory aspect of plantar fasciitis and how nutrition may be utilised as part of your recovery and prevention strategy
3. Some food ideas to help you prevent, manage and recover from plantar fasciitis
Show Notes
(00:07)
Our personal experience of plantar fasciitis.
(05:49)
What is plantar fasciitis, what are the risk factors and triggers for runners to be aware of?
Plantar fasciitis is a condition that occurs when the plantar fascia, the tissue that connects your toes to your heel, becomes damaged or torn. This condition is commonly experienced by runners and causes extreme pain in the bottom of the feet and the heel. Rest is essential if you have damaged your plantar fascia but preventing the condition in the first place is the best way to protect your feet. Stretching properly is an important factor, but your diet can also play an important role.
It’s thought that an inflammatory component of PF is a result of prolonged loading on the tissue which perpetuates the inflammatory cycle.
We know that inflammation is part of the healing process.
In PF it’s believed that the healing response results in production of new connective tissue which may be laid down in a disorganised fashion and this causes the formation of adhesion and thickening of the plantar fascia. It’s believed that the thickness of PF is related to the pain levels experienced.
The main triggers seem to be;
· Changes in activity – perhaps a new type of exercise activity or a change in intensity
· Tight calf muscles or an achilles injury
· New or old footwear
· Weight gain or being overweight
· Chronic inflammation may be driving the ongoing symptoms of PF – we can talk about that later in our conversation
The main risk factors for developing PF are considered to be;
· Running
· High Foot Arches
· Excessive foot pronation
· Weak plantar flexor muscles (that run along the bottom of the foot)
· Obesity
· Prolonged standing or walking
(13:52)
A Focus on the inflammatory aspect of plantar fasciitis and how nutrition may be utilised as part of your recovery and prevention strategy
Acute inflammation occurs in response to infection and injury. Immune cells identify a stressor i.e the infection/injury and take action to resolve the issue. Pro inflammatory mediators (histamine/cytokines/eicosanoids/prostaglandins) help to increase blood flow and vascular permeability around the site of infection/injury and enable pro inflammatory immune cells to do their job.
This is known as the INFLAMMATION INITIATION PHASE. You may notice redness, heat,...
