Hard To Pronounce, Painful Foot Pain

Ouch! That heel pain you feel when you first get up in the morning has a name.

Plantar fasciitis(PLAN-ter fash-ee-EYE-tus). An inflammation of the fibrous band of tissue that connects your heel bone to the base of your toes along the bottom of your foot. The condition usually starts with pain the morning after a day of increased physical activity. You may not remember a specific injury.

Ice the sore area for 20 minutes two times a day, after dinner and before bedtime, to relieve symptoms. Ask your doctor about taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pain relievers, suggest experts at the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society.

Stretching the plantar fascia with these exercises (www.aofas.org/footcaremd/conditions/ailments-of-the-heel/Pages/Plantar-Fasciitis.aspx) is the best treatment after the initial inflammation has gone down.

For longer-term problems and pain that won’t go away, some injections are available, and shock wave therapy is an option. Surgery may be a final solution.