You may be on this page because of an annoying pain in the heel of your foot. As we age, it seems like our bodies like to create new pains and discomfort. One of these pains can be plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis, sometimes misspelled fascitis, is a painful foot condition that affects 2-3 million people every year. Plantar Fasciitis may even prevent you from living a full, active lifestyle.

What if there were a way to reduce or eliminate the effects of Plantar Fasciitis such that your life isn't put on hold? Imagine what you could accomplish! The life experiences you get to enjoy, the trips with your friends and family, the sports in which you can continue to participate.

The Good News is you don't need to live with this pain the rest of your life. Many things can be done to minimize or even cure this condition. Kuru has developed a unique midsole technology that has helped many suffering from plantar fasciitis. In fact, more podiatrists recommend Kuru shoes to those who seek an active lifestyle but don't want to be debilitated because of painful plantar fasciitis.

Purchasing a pair of Kuru Footwear, combined with the exercises and stretches below, may reduce or eliminate your Plantar Fasciitis. More and more Podiatrists are prescribing these exercises and treatments along with Kuru Footwear to solve their patients' pain.

Testimonial I have severe plantar faciatis and bought these shoes in hopes they would help for my month long trip to India. I cannot believe how incredible these shoes feel, function and look. Without these shoes I could barely walk for a hour, with these shoes I went 12 hours every day with barely a twinge. I just got back and the first thing I did was order 2 more pair. These are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned (and I own a lot of shoes) Jo, MI

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is a painful foot condition that occurs more often in women than men. It is one of the most common causes of heel pain. Anatomically, plantar fasciitis is inflammation and irritation of the plantar fascia.

If left unchecked, plantar fasciitis may develop into a chronic condition that can limit your normal, every day functions. Such problems include skeletal or muscular pain including knee, hip, foot, or back problems.

Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis:

Someone suffering from Plantar Fasciitis will notice heel pain, particularly in the morning upon rising. The pain may increase after getting up from a seated position or after long periods of standing. The pain usually continues throughout the day and can be exacerbated with simple activities such as standing, walking, or wearing flat shoes. However, the pain is most pronounced in the morning when taking your first few steps.

Usually, the pain begins in the heel region. If left untreated, however, it can extend across the full length of the foot, from the heel, across the arch, to the ball of the foot. If you've been experiencing an uncomfortable, stabbing pain in the foot, there's a good chance you are suffering from plantar fasciitis.

Causes of Plantar Fasciitis:

Plantar fasciitis is more common in runners, women who are pregnant and those who are overweight. Another common cause includes over-activity of the feet, such as working all day while standing. It can also be a result of shoes with inadequate or poor support.

Many of the shoes worn today don't support the feet properly. As a result, over-activity combined with poor shoes can quickly lead to plantar fasciitis. Many who are suffering from plantar fasciitis can realize near-immediate improvement by simply upgrading to more supportive shoes in addition to the exercises and stretches below.

Shoes for Plantar Fasciitis:

Active footwear is flat. Flat causes pain in the feet and can aggravate plantar fasciitis symptoms. If you want to stick with flat shoes, you'll need to buy $400 custom orthotics to achieve the support needed to help resolve plantar fasciitis.

Alternatively, you can buy the leading active shoe for plantar fasciitis, Kuru Footwear. Kuru has an orthotic midsole molded into every pair of shoes. This patent-pending technology custom molds to the contours of your foot helping reduce or eliminate your plantar fasciitis. In fact, more podiatrists recommend Kuru shoes as part of a comprehensive program to solve plantar fasciitis. Kuru shoes are one of the few off-the-shelf shoes that have been shown to reduce the pains caused by Plantar Fasciitis.

All Kuru styles feature our patent-pending KuruSole midsole technology, which is perfect for plantar fasciitis. However, we do suggest going with a lace-up style for plantar fasciitis as it will give better support and relief. Following are our best-selling styles for plantar fasciitis:

Best-Selling Womens Shoes for Plantar Fasciitis:

Best-Selling Mens Shoes for Plantar Fasciitis:

Plantar Fasciitis Treatment:

If left untreated, the pain of plantar fasciitis can persist indefinitely. Fortunately, through a combination of the following exercises, stretches, and footwear, you can address the problems of plantar fasciitis.

Exercises
There are a few simple exercises that can bring relief without further intervention. These exercises include:

• Place a frozen bag of corn, cold beverage can, or tennis ball under the affected foot and roll the foot back and forth while applying weight. This method provides a stretch and ice massage simultaneously.
• Icing the bottom of the affected foot in the morning and evening can reduce pain and inflammation.
• Exercises that strengthen the foot and arch can also be helpful. This can include heel lifts or calf raises on the edge of a step.
• Another exercise is called marble pickup. With this exercise, put a handful of marbles on the ground and individually pick them up with your toes and drop them in a nearby box or cup. This exercise focuses on increasing the strength of your foot muscles.

Stretches
Proper stretching every morning and evening can help reduce the pain and/or inflammation. Suggested stretches include:

• Heel Dips. While standing, place your toes on the edge of a step and slowly lower your heel below your toes and hold for 15 seconds. This will stretch the achilles tendon and calf muscle. Repeat 2-4 times for the affected foot/feet.
• Towel stretch. The towel stretch stretches your arch. In a seated position with your legs stretched flat in front of you, loop a towel around the toes and ball of your foot. With your hands, pull the towel towards your chest while keeping your knee straight to stretch the bottom and arch of your foot. Hold for 15 seconds. Repeat 2-4 times for the affected foot/feet.
• Wall Stretch. Face a wall and place your hands against the wall. Place the affected foot behind you with the toes pointing towards the wall. While leaning against the wall, attempt to make the heel of the affected foot flat against the ground. This will stretch your calf and arch. Hold for 15 seconds. Repeat 2-4 times for the affected foot/feet.
• Night Stretches. For those suffering from more severe plantar fasciitis, wearing night splints at night can be used to stretch the foot. Generally, these night splints stretch the heel and arch while you sleep, keeping the plantar fascia from getting contracted during the night.

Changing Shoes
One of the critical steps to successfully treating Plantar Fasciitis is changing the shoes being worn. Footwear with poor support actually counteracts the progress made by the aforementioned exercises and stretches. It is essential to consistently wear properly supportive footwear.

Supportive footwear not only helps solve plantar fasciitis, it is essential to prevent the recurrence of plantar fasciitis. Shoes good for treating plantar fasciitis must have a deep heel cup. The problem with active footwear is none have a deep heelcup built into the midsole, until now! Kuru Footwear is the first active footwear to offer a patent-pending midsole technology with a deep heel cup. Until now, those suffering from plantar fasciitis were doomed to frumpy orthopedic shoes to get the proper heel cup.

Surgery

Surgical procedures, such as plantar fascia release, are a last resort, and often lead to further complications such as a lowering of the arch and pain in the foot due to compression of bones. In addition, surgery carries the risk of nerve injury, infection or rupture of the plantar fascia. Fortunately, most are able to solve plantar fasciitis without surgery.

The aforementioned exercises and treatments, along with purchasing a pair of Kuru Shoes should be the first things done to try and solve plantar fasciitis. Not to mention, these are much cheaper alternatives than visiting a Doctor or performing surgery.

As always, you should consult your local physician or podiatrist for proper medical attention.

Disclaimer: This site and related text copy is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended as a guide to self-medication or as a substitute for advice, diagnosis or treatment by a medical professional.