Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis

At night your foot rests and your plantar fascia contracts (shortens). As a result, you will tend to experience the most pain in the morning when you take your first steps, because you are stretching and irritating the tissue after long periods of non-use. This is the same after sitting for long periods of time. Your tissues will relax and lengthen throughout the day with movement, however long periods of time on your feet or walking on hard surfaces can make them extremely sore at the end of the day.

The pain associated with plantar fasciitis normally starts as a dull ache and then progresses to a sharp, knife-like pain or constant throbbing feeling that is worse when you put weight on your foot. The most tender areas tend to be in the centre of your heel and along the inside and bottom of your foot towards your toes, where your heel and arch meet. It is worsened when you move your toes upward.

As a result of a tight achilles tendon and calf muscles, you may shift your weight forward and walk on your toes or limp. This affects the way your foot contacts the ground and creates more stress on your plantar fascia which creates more pain. As the disease progresses, it takes longer for your pain to subside.

You may occasionally (although not always) experience bruising, redness, warmth and/or puffiness (known as inflammation) on and around your heel, which can double the thickness of your plantar fascia, increase your discomfort and cause stiffness in your foot. These symptoms can also indicate other foot conditions.

This inflammation can instigate heel spurs around the attachment of your plantar fascia, where the most tension and irritation is experienced. These are calcium deposits that produce bony, hook-shaped projections in the soft tissue on the underside of your heel bone. They can cause tenderness when walking, however many people experience no pain with them. Not all people with plantar fasciitis experience heel spurs, nor do all people who have heel spurs experience plantar fasciitis.

Numbness and burning in your foot is sometimes felt and is often associated with nerve damage.