One common cause of foot pain and ankle pain is an injury called plantar fasciitis (fashee-EYE-tiss). If your first few steps out of bed in the morning cause severe foot pain in the heel of your foot, you may have plantar fasciitis. It's an overuse foot injury affecting the sole (bottom) or flexor surface (plantar) of the foot. A diagnosis of plantar fasciitis means you have inflamed the tough, fibrous band of tissue (fascia) connecting your heel bone to the base of your toes.
Symptoms
You're more likely to get plantar fasciitis if you are a woman, if you are overweight, or if you have a job that requires a lot of walking or standing on hard surfaces.
You are also at risk if you walk or run for exercise, especially if you have tight calf muscles that limit how far you can flex your ankles.
People with very flat feet or very high arches are also more prone to foot injuries like plantar fasciitis.
The condition starts gradually with mild foot pain at the heel bone often referred to as a stone bruise. You're more likely to feel it after (not during) exercise. This foot pain often occurs again after arising from a midday lunch break.
If you don't treat plantar fasciitis, it may become a chronic condition. You may not be able to keep up your level of activity and you may also develop symptoms of foot, knee, hip or back problems as well as other foot and ankle pains, because of the way plantar fasciitis changes the way you walk.
Treatments
The most common treatments for foot pain and ankle pain caused by plantar fasciitis injuries are:
- Rest and NSAIDs
- Exercise
- Rehabilitation
