How long should you rest for plantar fasciitis?

Written by Guan Jing Tao
Orthopedics
Updated on January 24, 2025
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For an initial episode of plantar fasciitis, it is recommended to rest for at least two to four weeks, avoid exposure to cold and weight-bearing activities, and perform local physical therapies such as heat therapy, physiotherapy, and acupuncture. If there is no significant improvement after about a week of treatment, it is advisable to visit a hospital for further consultation. If necessary, pain point block treatment may be administered once a week, with a total of two to four sessions constituting a treatment course, which can also yield good therapeutic effects. If there is still no significant improvement, it is suggested to conduct a local radiographic examination to ascertain any abnormal bone changes, and based on the results, further guidance and treatment will be provided.

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Causes of Plantar Fasciitis

The main causes of plantar fasciitis are usually due to local trauma, prolonged overexertion, chronic irritation, or exposure to cold, which can lead to aseptic inflammation of the plantar fascia, resulting in plantar fasciitis. This causes pain symptoms, and in severe cases, it may affect the patient's ability to walk and engage in normal activities. Patients with plantar fasciitis must pay attention to rest and protection for a recent period of time, try to minimize local irritation, and absolutely avoid exposure to cold. Persist in actively applying warm compresses to the area every day, use topical ointments that activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and take oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving drugs along with drugs that promote blood circulation and remove stasis. With consistent treatment, recovery will gradually occur.

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Written by Wang Cheng Lin
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Is physical therapy useful for plantar fasciitis?

Physical therapy for plantar fasciitis is quite effective. It can reduce local inflammatory reactions and increase local blood circulation, thereby promoting the recovery of the plantar fascia and alleviating pain. Generally, there are many types of physical therapy; currently, the most modern and commonly used is extracorporeal shock wave therapy, which has better effects than previous methods like electrotherapy and magnetic therapy. In addition to this type of therapy, local application of injections can also be used. Blocking injections can provide immediate pain relief, but their use is limited to once or twice a month at most, as excessive use can damage the plantar fascia and exacerbate pain.

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How is plantar fasciitis treated?

For the treatment of plantar fasciitis, there are currently two approaches clinically. The first is conservative treatment, which includes the following options: The first is rest, meaning to minimize weight-bearing walking and rest as much as possible. The second is to use heat application, such as applying a hot towel to the sole of the foot for 10-20 minutes each day, twice a day, which can help increase local blood circulation and alleviate pain. The third is the use of oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and pain-relief medications, as well as medications that promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis to relieve local pain. The fourth is extracorporeal shock wave therapy for relief. The fifth, and most commonly used, is injection therapy, but it is important to note that there are clear limits on the number of times injection therapy can be used. If conservative treatment does not work for over six months, or if the symptoms of plantar fasciitis progressively worsen, surgical treatment may be necessary.

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Plantar Fasciitis Physical Therapy Methods

The most common clinical treatments for plantar fasciitis are, firstly, injection therapy, secondly, acupuncture, and thirdly, small needle knife therapy. Among these, injection therapy has the most noticeable effects, but it also has a significant problem. Since the injections contain steroids, excessive use of injection therapy can not only fail to alleviate symptoms but may actually damage the plantar fascia, leading to a worsening of plantar fasciitis symptoms. Therefore, it is crucial to limit the frequency of injection treatments to no more than once or twice a month. If the symptoms of plantar fasciitis do not improve significantly with physical therapy and the pain progressively worsens, then surgical treatment may be necessary. The goals of surgery are firstly to release the plantar fascia and secondly to remove bone spurs, thereby completely alleviating the symptoms of plantar fasciitis pain.

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Plantar fasciitis clinical symptoms

The clinical manifestation of plantar fasciitis primarily involves pain on the inner side of the foot when bearing weight, particularly severe during excessive weight-bearing activities. This pain can significantly affect your posture while walking and has a substantial impact on daily life. Currently, there are two main treatments used clinically. The first is conservative treatment, which mainly involves rest, local injections, electrotherapy, magnet therapy, and acupuncture to alleviate the pain. If conservative treatment fails to yield results after more than six months and the pain progressively worsens, surgical treatment becomes the only option. Surgical treatment includes releasing the plantar fascia, removing bone spurs, and eliminating inflammatory tissue around the plantar fascia to relieve pain.