Do You Genuinely Have Plantar Fasciitis? - By: Alex Nordach

Have you been mis-diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis?

There was an estimate done recently that showed in excess of two million people in America suffer from plantar fasciitis each and every year. And over the course of their lifetimes, more than ten percent of everyone in the country will be subjected to this ailment. But "plantar fasciitis" is one of those terms that everyone thinks they know...and this can be dangerous, because new research is showing that chronic foot pain may not be plantar fasciitis after all.

Let's review some basic facts, and then you can see for yourself what your particular condition is.

"Itis", as a medical term, indicates the presence of inflammation. Whenever a body experiences inflammation, the four expected indicators are pain, swelling, redness and heat. Inflammation is usually (although not invariably) a short-term problem. In most cases, a couple of weeks is long enough to resolve the issue. Since inflammation is a repair response for when there is a physical injury or irritation, it only lasts until the trouble has been taken care of. Inflammation that continues beyond ten to fourteen days indicates that whatever the original trauma was, it hasn't been resolved. In that case, you need to get at the root problem or you may never heal.

Now let's talk about "osis". "Osis" it a term that indicates actual degeneration in the body. Therefore, if you're diagnosed with plantar fasciosis, this would indicate actual damage to the plantar fascia (a bunch of thick tendinous fiber that runs the length of your foot) rather than just some secondary inflammation. In long-term (ie, more than two weeks) cases where NSAIDs like aspirin and ibuprofin are ineffective, and icing doesn't work, the odds are very good that the problem is plantar fasciosis rather than plantar fasciitis. If this is the case, you need a different approach in order to heal correctly. And this different approach is going to need to target the true issue: tissue deterioration, not inflammation.

So is there some simple way to determine which condition you have? You're in luck. There is. Do you remember those four classic symptoms of inflammation? Take a look at the underside of your feet and see if there is excessive redness or swelling or heat. (I'm sure you've got pain or you wouldn't be reading this.) If you've been told that you have plantar fasciitis but don't have these definitive symptoms, how is it that inflammation is the problem? Also, if you've been taking NSAIDs and using ice and so on to reduce inflammation, but you still have pain, maybe it's because inflammation isn't truly the problem. But don't take my word for it: present the evidence, ask your physician and see for yourself.

Naturally, an "itis" and an "osis" can be both be present. But keep in mind that these conditions are not the same. They will need to be addressed with separate remedies for you to get better. If you think that you have plantar fasciosis, there are some specific exercises that you can do to help yourself get better.

About the Author

Alex Nordach has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 30 years and is an expert in the area of fascia and tendon structures. For cutting-edge information that isn't available anywhere else on the internet, click through to the Target Plantar Fasciitis blog at => http://www.targetplantarfasciitis.com

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Alex-Nordach/178151

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