Can a foam roller help plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is among the most prevalent orthopedic condition observed by foot doctors. This is an irritation and degeneration with the plantar fascia which is a long ligament like structure that spans across the arch of the foot. The typical indications are pain underneath the heel and more intense pain on standing up from rest, especially in the early morning after a night’s rest. Most things that adds to the stress on the arch of the feet are going to overload the plantar fascia. This can include weight problems, being active, standing on the feet all day long and structural issues that change the posture of the feet. There are several treatment options that are suitable for heel pain, with the most effective ones being those that minimize the force put on the long plantar ligament.

There’s been plenty of interest in the utilization of foam rollers to take care of soft tissue problems lately, along with the question gets asked frequently as to if we are able to use a foam roller for plantar fasciitis?

It’s quite common to see information given to move the foot backward and forward across a tennis ball on the ground and that this will assist the plantar fasciitis. This would have a similar affect to what a foam roller can have. No studies have revealed that this is actually beneficial, even though a lot of people make use of the roller. That being said, there is certainly many health care professionals that may urge against doing it. It is not necessarily hazardous, however they think that it simply doesn’t do a lot of good in comparison to the anything else which you can use and are most likely more effective. One point to take into account is the fact that when we hurt ourselves, massaging the spot with the discomfort usually seems to feel a lot better. That does not suggest the rubbing in reality fixes the condition, it just can make it feel a little improved. That is probably why a lot of health care professionals are sceptical with regards to advocating self-massage or foam rolling for the plantar fasciitis.

Some new research was lately released on the use of a foam roller for plantar fasciitis. It was a randomized controlled study looking at using a foam roller to stretching. Normally in clinical practice it is not a question of selecting to utilize one therapy or another like in this clinical trial. Many treatment methods are often used with each other in combination, therefore the medical study is somewhat artificial. While acknowledging that, the study did indicate that both worked equally or the foam roller might be a slightly bit superior, so utilizing the foam roller to massage the arch area of the foot in individuals with heel pain definitely does help.

Based on the above in all probability it is a good idea to make use of something like the foam roller. There are particular foam rollers, just like the Pediroller, which are designed to roll on the mid-foot (arch) of the foot. They may not solve this problem, but based on the stories and this one study, it will certainly make it feel much better at the minimum. This can be sufficient justification to give it a go.