Your feet take a lot of abuse. They must bear your weight when you stand, as well as take an equal and opposite force from the ground in response to your weight. There are additional pressures on the feet, and especially the plantar fascia, as you walk or run. The plantar fascia is a tough fibrous sheet that supports your arch and protects the internal structures of your foot from all this wear and tear. The sheet starts along the ball of your forefoot and runs along the bottom of your foot, narrowing as it goes, to end in a connection at a small area on your heel bone.

Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition that occurs when the ligaments holding the bony joints around your foot’s arch relax too much. The arch then flattens more than usual, making the foot slightly longer. The plantar fascia can’t stretch, so it tears slightly. This always happens at the heel because a lot of force is focused there on a very small area.

Plantar fasciitis pain then goes away after the damage has been done and your foot has adjusted. More tearing happens the next time you put weight on your feet after relaxing. This plantar fasciitis cycle goes on, over and over again, until you eventually seek treatment for it.

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of foot pain in runners, older people, athletes, soldiers, and anyone else who has to stand up for long periods of time. The most common symptoms is when you take your first step in the morning, you feel a sharp, stabbing pain in your heel or arch.

Podiatrists (foot doctors) recommend avoiding this morning pain by wearing a night splint. This simple solution elevates your foot while you sleep, thereby pre-stretching the plantar fascia tissues in your sole. The Stretch-Away Plantar Fasciitis Night Brace is particularly effective for this, and it’s not expensive at all. As you wake up and take your first step in the morning, the pain is avoided.

www.StretchAway-PlantarFasciitis.com