If you’re suffering from plantar fasciitis, you already know how painful and annoying it can be in everyday life. Depending on the severity, it can make the simplest activities almost unbearable. But, there’s good news!
You can heal plantar fasciitis. And providing yourself the proper treatment, along with a pair of shoes and/or socks that are good for plantar fasciitis, will give you the best chance of improving the pain brought on by this condition. But, how can you tell if your plantar fasciitis is getting better?
Part of a positive healing journey is understanding how fast, and how well the condition is improving. This makes it much easier to track your progress and understand when you can incorporate more physical activity into your routine.
In this article, we’ll discuss 7 important indicators of plantar fasciitis healing. But let’s start by creating reasonable expectations for your recovery.
How Long Does Plantar Fasciitis Last?
Plantar fasciitis can last anywhere from a few weeks to over a year. The inflammation that accompanies plantar fasciitis can be very unpredictable because many factors go into it. The side effects and effectiveness of treatment will vary from person to person.
Patience is required when committing to a plantar fasciitis treatment regimen. There’s a chance you could experience significant lasting relief in a few weeks, but this won’t be the case for everyone.
Keeping a positive attitude, and making treatment part of your routine will give you the best chance to overcome the debilitating pain that can come with plantar fasciitis.
7 Key Signs Your Plantar Fasciitis is Healing
1. Reduced overall pain
As with most ailments, less pain means your body is successfully recovering. When your pain is decreasing over time, you can be pretty confident that your plantar fasciitis is getting better. When your pain starts to go away, you will likely notice that any existing pain is easier to pinpoint.
You may notice the reduction of pain the most in the morning, since this is the time of day that plantar fasciitis pain usually hits the hardest.
2. Less swelling and tightness
Excessive swelling, as well as foot, ankle and leg tightness will improve as your plantar fasciitis heals. Any visual redness or inflammation will become less obvious.
Once your ankle and calf start to loosen up a bit, this will make treatment and prevention a bit easier as you try to get rid of all the pain.
3. Increased range of motion
As you progress in your healing journey, you’ll experience a greater range of motion and notice that it’s easier to move around – not only in your feet, but the rest of your body as well.
With better mobility comes less compensation for the injury in other areas of your body. Bad plantar fasciitis can negatively affect your gait and posture, so when the condition starts to improve, so does the rest of your body.
4. Increased strength
Once pain and swelling start to disappear and you’re able to move around better, you start building strength. When your foot and legs feel stronger, this is a good sign plantar fasciitis is continuing to improve.
5. More comfortable physical activity
When plantar fasciitis is healing, you’ll notice that your everyday routine is becoming easier and you aren’t thinking about your foot pain as much. Being more comfortable during your day to day activities is a good indicator of healing.
6. Getting out of bed is easier
As mentioned earlier, the pain is usually worse in the morning. When your plantar fasciitis is healing, it will start getting easier to roll out of bed and start walking around immediately. For any plantar fasciitis sufferers, this is typically a sign of a good day ahead!
7. Better sleep
Plantar fasciitis pain can prevent many people from getting a good night’s sleep. If you are feeling more rested, and getting more hours of sleep as time passes, that’s another good sign of progress.
How to Speed Up Plantar Fasciitis Healing
To heal plantar fasciitis faster, make sure to prioritize the following treatment practices:
- Regular tissue massage
- Icing
- Stretching
- Resting
- Wear comfortable shoes
Build a schedule for healing into your week. We’re all busy, but even taking 5 to 10 minutes to implement one or all of these options can work wonders.
It’s tough to know exactly how fast plantar fasciitis will heal, but the only thing you can do is trust the above methods of reducing inflammation. When you make these things a habit, you will be on your way to recovery.
If you ever suspect that there are deeper issues beyond plantar fascia inflammation, or are confused as to why your pain never seems to improve, you should reach out to your doctor. For more plantar fasciitis resources, check out our blog!
