Foot & Ankle Physical Therapy in Berkeley Heights

A physical therapist often handles many ankle and foot conditions such as plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is a painful foot injury and one of the most common reasons for pain in the heel of your foot. A thick band of tissue on the bottom of your foot connects the heel bone to the toes, known as the plantar fascia. When this tissue becomes inflamed due to stress or overuse, plantar fasciitis is the result. 

How Does Plantar Fasciitis Affect My Foot?

The most common and sometimes the only sign of plantar fasciitis is a shooting or stabbing pain in the bottom of your foot. This pain will happen for various reasons, but most noticeably while stretching your foot or after exercising. You will also notice pain when getting out of bed in the morning or even just from standing for long periods. 

Runners and jumpers are the most common victims of the plantar fasciitis due to the extreme stress that they put on their feet. Others who are most commonly afflicted with plantar fasciitis are overweight, old, or who have jobs that require lots of walking or standing. The best way to get your foot pain under control is to seek counsel from a physical therapist and allow them to set up a recovery plan for you. 

What Can a Physical Therapist do to Help?

Gait training

You might think that you know how to walk, but a physical therapist will teach you how to walk the right way. Learning to correctly distribute your weight when you walk will reduce your risk of further injury. 

Manual therapy

This includes soft tissue and joint mobilization exercises to improve the flexibility and pliability of your foot. 

Icing, taping, and stretching exercises

Icing, properly taping, and stretching your foot are crucial to making a speedy and full recovery. These are things that a physical therapist is very skilled at and will teach you to do. 

Every physical therapist is different and will use different treatment methods, but it will most likely include a combination of the above methods. The team at our Berkeley Heights physical therapy office will provide you with a safe and effective path to recovery.