Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHome Remedies and Lifestyle ChangesMedications and Medical InterventionsPhysical TherapySurgery
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Home Remedies and Lifestyle Changes
Medications and Medical Interventions
Physical Therapy
Surgery
The besttreatmentforplantar fasciitisdepends on the severity of your condition. Options can include home remedies, medications, physical therapy, and, less commonly, surgery. People using nonsurgical treatments typically experience pain resolution within three to six months of consistent treatment.
This article discusses treatment options for plantar fasciitis, including home remedies and medical treatments to discuss with your healthcare provider.
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Home remedies and lifestyle changes can help improve your plantar fasciitis symptoms. These can include:
Complementary Treatments for Plantar FasciitisComplementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments—such asacupunctureor chiropractic care—may help decrease symptoms of plantar fasciitis. However, the scientific evidence to support these treatment options is lacking, so proceed cautiously.
Complementary Treatments for Plantar Fasciitis
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments—such asacupunctureor chiropractic care—may help decrease symptoms of plantar fasciitis. However, the scientific evidence to support these treatment options is lacking, so proceed cautiously.
If home remedies do not relieve your symptoms, you may need to try certain medications or medical procedures.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Over-the-counter medications can help reduce symptoms that occur with plantar fasciitis, including:
Prescription Medications and Procedures
Depending on the severity of your plantar fasciitis, you may need prescriptionmedications, such asoral corticosteroids.
A healthcare provider may also recommend certain procedures to treat plantar fasciitis, including the following:
Physical therapycan be beneficial for treating plantar fasciitis. Physical therapists use variousmodalitiesto help decrease pain and inflammation, such as:
Some physical therapists have additional training indry-needling techniques, which have been shown to help decrease symptoms of plantar fasciitis.
A physical therapist can also recommend appropriate footwear and evaluate yourbiomechanics(bodily movements)—such as how you run—to help determine the underlying cause of your plantar fasciitis.
People with severe plantar fasciitis who have not responded to other treatments may need surgery. The procedure to treat this condition is calledplantar fasciotomyorplantar fascia releaseand is done endoscopically (using tiny tools) or through an open incision.
After surgery, you may need a walking boot for a few weeks to allow the tissue to heal. Physical therapy after surgery can help you regain your range of motion and strength. However, higher-level activities, such as running and jumping, are restricted for several months.
Surgery does not cure all cases of plantar fasciitis. Up to 25% of people will still have pain after the procedure.
Who Needs Surgery?Up to 90% of people with plantar fasciitis will recover with three to six months of conservative (meaning nonsurgical) treatment.A healthcare provider may recommend surgery if symptoms last more than three to six months.
Who Needs Surgery?
Up to 90% of people with plantar fasciitis will recover with three to six months of conservative (meaning nonsurgical) treatment.A healthcare provider may recommend surgery if symptoms last more than three to six months.
Summary
The best treatment for plantar fasciitis depends on the severity of your condition. It can be treated with home remedies, lifestyle changes, medications, physical therapy, and other procedures such as extracorporeal shock wave therapy or radiofrequency ablation. The condition resolves in approximately 90% of people after conservative treatment. However, in severe cases, surgery may be required.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Latt LD, Jaffe DE, Tang Y, Taljanovic MS.Evaluation and treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.Foot Ankle Orthop. 2020;5(1):2473011419896763. doi:10.1177/2473011419896763Yale Medicine.Plantar fasciitis.Latt LD, Jaffe DE, Tang Y, Taljanovic MS.Evaluation and treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.Foot Ankle Orthop. 2020;5(1):2473011419896763. doi:10.1177%2F2473011419896763Dunning J, Butts R, Henry N, et al.Electrical dry needling as an adjunct to exercise, manual therapy and ultrasound for plantar fasciitis: A multi-center randomized clinical trial.PLoS One. 2018;13(10):e0205405. doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0205405Arthur Vithran DT, He M, Xie W, Essien AE, Opoku M, Li Y.Advances in the clinical application of platelet-rich plasma in the foot and ankle: a review.J Clin Med. 2023;12(3):1002. doi:10.3390%2Fjcm12031002Schroeder AN, Tenforde AS, Jelsing EJ.Extracorporeal shockwave therapy in the management of sports medicine injuries.Current Sports Medicine Reports. 2021;20(6):298. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000851Yuan Y, Qian Y, Lu H, Kou Y, Xu Y, Xu H.Comparison of the therapeutic outcomes between open plantar fascia release and percutaneous radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of intractable plantar fasciitis.J Orthop Surg Res. 2020;15:55. doi:10.1186%2Fs13018-020-1582-2Rhim HC, Kwon J, Park J, Borg-Stein J, Tenforde AS.A systematic review of systematic reviews on the epidemiology, evaluation, and treatment of plantar fasciitis.Life (Basel). 2021;11(12):1287. doi:10.3390%2Flife11121287Kaiser Permanente.Plantar fascia release.Latt LD, Jaffe DE, Tang Y, Taljanovic MS.Evaluation and treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.Foot Ankle Orthop. 2020;5(1):2473011419896763. doi:10.1177%2F2473011419896763
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Latt LD, Jaffe DE, Tang Y, Taljanovic MS.Evaluation and treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.Foot Ankle Orthop. 2020;5(1):2473011419896763. doi:10.1177/2473011419896763Yale Medicine.Plantar fasciitis.Latt LD, Jaffe DE, Tang Y, Taljanovic MS.Evaluation and treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.Foot Ankle Orthop. 2020;5(1):2473011419896763. doi:10.1177%2F2473011419896763Dunning J, Butts R, Henry N, et al.Electrical dry needling as an adjunct to exercise, manual therapy and ultrasound for plantar fasciitis: A multi-center randomized clinical trial.PLoS One. 2018;13(10):e0205405. doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0205405Arthur Vithran DT, He M, Xie W, Essien AE, Opoku M, Li Y.Advances in the clinical application of platelet-rich plasma in the foot and ankle: a review.J Clin Med. 2023;12(3):1002. doi:10.3390%2Fjcm12031002Schroeder AN, Tenforde AS, Jelsing EJ.Extracorporeal shockwave therapy in the management of sports medicine injuries.Current Sports Medicine Reports. 2021;20(6):298. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000851Yuan Y, Qian Y, Lu H, Kou Y, Xu Y, Xu H.Comparison of the therapeutic outcomes between open plantar fascia release and percutaneous radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of intractable plantar fasciitis.J Orthop Surg Res. 2020;15:55. doi:10.1186%2Fs13018-020-1582-2Rhim HC, Kwon J, Park J, Borg-Stein J, Tenforde AS.A systematic review of systematic reviews on the epidemiology, evaluation, and treatment of plantar fasciitis.Life (Basel). 2021;11(12):1287. doi:10.3390%2Flife11121287Kaiser Permanente.Plantar fascia release.Latt LD, Jaffe DE, Tang Y, Taljanovic MS.Evaluation and treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.Foot Ankle Orthop. 2020;5(1):2473011419896763. doi:10.1177%2F2473011419896763
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Latt LD, Jaffe DE, Tang Y, Taljanovic MS.Evaluation and treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.Foot Ankle Orthop. 2020;5(1):2473011419896763. doi:10.1177/2473011419896763Yale Medicine.Plantar fasciitis.Latt LD, Jaffe DE, Tang Y, Taljanovic MS.Evaluation and treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.Foot Ankle Orthop. 2020;5(1):2473011419896763. doi:10.1177%2F2473011419896763Dunning J, Butts R, Henry N, et al.Electrical dry needling as an adjunct to exercise, manual therapy and ultrasound for plantar fasciitis: A multi-center randomized clinical trial.PLoS One. 2018;13(10):e0205405. doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0205405Arthur Vithran DT, He M, Xie W, Essien AE, Opoku M, Li Y.Advances in the clinical application of platelet-rich plasma in the foot and ankle: a review.J Clin Med. 2023;12(3):1002. doi:10.3390%2Fjcm12031002Schroeder AN, Tenforde AS, Jelsing EJ.Extracorporeal shockwave therapy in the management of sports medicine injuries.Current Sports Medicine Reports. 2021;20(6):298. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000851Yuan Y, Qian Y, Lu H, Kou Y, Xu Y, Xu H.Comparison of the therapeutic outcomes between open plantar fascia release and percutaneous radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of intractable plantar fasciitis.J Orthop Surg Res. 2020;15:55. doi:10.1186%2Fs13018-020-1582-2Rhim HC, Kwon J, Park J, Borg-Stein J, Tenforde AS.A systematic review of systematic reviews on the epidemiology, evaluation, and treatment of plantar fasciitis.Life (Basel). 2021;11(12):1287. doi:10.3390%2Flife11121287Kaiser Permanente.Plantar fascia release.Latt LD, Jaffe DE, Tang Y, Taljanovic MS.Evaluation and treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.Foot Ankle Orthop. 2020;5(1):2473011419896763. doi:10.1177%2F2473011419896763
Latt LD, Jaffe DE, Tang Y, Taljanovic MS.Evaluation and treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.Foot Ankle Orthop. 2020;5(1):2473011419896763. doi:10.1177/2473011419896763
Yale Medicine.Plantar fasciitis.
Latt LD, Jaffe DE, Tang Y, Taljanovic MS.Evaluation and treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.Foot Ankle Orthop. 2020;5(1):2473011419896763. doi:10.1177%2F2473011419896763
Dunning J, Butts R, Henry N, et al.Electrical dry needling as an adjunct to exercise, manual therapy and ultrasound for plantar fasciitis: A multi-center randomized clinical trial.PLoS One. 2018;13(10):e0205405. doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0205405
Arthur Vithran DT, He M, Xie W, Essien AE, Opoku M, Li Y.Advances in the clinical application of platelet-rich plasma in the foot and ankle: a review.J Clin Med. 2023;12(3):1002. doi:10.3390%2Fjcm12031002
Schroeder AN, Tenforde AS, Jelsing EJ.Extracorporeal shockwave therapy in the management of sports medicine injuries.Current Sports Medicine Reports. 2021;20(6):298. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000851
Yuan Y, Qian Y, Lu H, Kou Y, Xu Y, Xu H.Comparison of the therapeutic outcomes between open plantar fascia release and percutaneous radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of intractable plantar fasciitis.J Orthop Surg Res. 2020;15:55. doi:10.1186%2Fs13018-020-1582-2
Rhim HC, Kwon J, Park J, Borg-Stein J, Tenforde AS.A systematic review of systematic reviews on the epidemiology, evaluation, and treatment of plantar fasciitis.Life (Basel). 2021;11(12):1287. doi:10.3390%2Flife11121287
Kaiser Permanente.Plantar fascia release.
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