Kinesiology Tape and Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis, also known as heel spur syndrome, occurs when inflammation or irritation to the band of tissue that runs from your heel to your toes and causes discomfort that restricts activity levels.

Kinesiology tape can reduce loading on injured tissues and immobilize moving areas, helping decrease discomfort and speed healing. KT Tape is a special kind of athletic tape designed to mimic muscle action when applied in patterns to mimic its application on muscles.

Support

Kinesiology Tape (KT Tape or Kinesiotape), also referred to as KinesioTape, is an elastic therapeutic tape commonly used by physical therapists for relieving pain. This flexible therapeutic tape can be directly applied to muscles or tendons for support and stability. It is an excellent treatment option for plantar fasciitis as it supports the foot’s arch while alleviating heel ligament strain. Your physical therapist may recommend this treatment method as part of your plan to address heel pain from plantar fasciitis.

Kinesiology tape comes in many brands and varieties. Most are similar; you can easily find them online or at some sports stores. Kinesiology tape can help treat plantar fasciitis by applying it in specific ways to support the arch of your foot and promote blood flow for reduced inflammation.

When selecting an arch support for plantar fasciitis, look for one that offers sufficient support to the inner longitudinal arch of your foot. This arch spans from ball to heel and should feature in every person’s feet. When deciding, ensure it contains this support structure to optimize weight distribution and enhance stability.

Consider purchasing a plantar fasciitis arch support with a heel cup to cradle and cushion impact from steps, thus helping prevent compression of your arch when walking or running – something that could increase heel pain significantly. This cushioning also protects against foot slippage when standing still or sitting.

Select one that suits your lifestyle and shoes when purchasing plantar fasciitis arch supports. Otherwise, purchasing an arch support may prevent you from wearing your favorite footwear. At Good Feet stores, our trained Arch Support Specialists take up to an hour to measure and test your feet to help select an arch support pair that is explicitly tailored to you. With that information, they can choose the ideal team to return to living life freely without heel pain weighing down on them.

Rest

Plantar fasciitis can be extremely uncomfortable, with minimal movements often amplifying its effects. Therefore, you must give the fascia some rest time after exercise or prolonged standing periods – particularly following exercise or standing for extended periods.

Plantar fasciitis is characterized by heel and arch pain caused by shortening or tightening of connective tissue bands beneath your foot, typically due to wearing unsupportive shoes, overtraining, weight gain, overpronation, or abnormal foot structure.

Pain typically worsens after sitting or sleeping, walking, running, or jumping, and when standing on hard surfaces such as the bottom of a pool. Furthermore, pain may arise while exercising on an elliptical machine or treadmill.

Those suffering from plantar fasciitis may find relief through kinesiology tape therapy. This technique involves applying patterns that resemble muscles to your skin in a series of designs that simulate their movement without placing unnecessary stress on injured areas, helping improve circulation and reduce inflammation.

To properly apply kinesiology tape, ensure your feet are clean and dry. Next, put one piece of tape on both the top and bottom of your foot – with half of that piece covering over half of its predecessor piece of tape.

Ice is an effective way to ease plantar fasciitis pain and swelling by constricting blood vessels and reducing inflammation. Use an ice pack, soak your foot in an ice bath, or apply ice regularly throughout the day – for 20 minutes at a time, several times.

Take anti-inflammatory medication as prescribed, such as over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen. Also, ensure you stretch regularly – one effective stretch for plantar fasciitis is called “the sitting Achilles tendon stretch.” By performing it daily, this stretch will increase flexibility while speeding up healing time.

Ice

Plantar fasciitis, commonly referred to as heel pain or arch pain, occurs when your plantar fascia, the ligament that runs from heel to toe, tightens up or becomes inflamed – an issue often experienced by runners and athletes. Luckily, however, treatment options include using Kinesiology tape.

KT tape is an elastic athletic tape designed to relieve inflammation and support the plantar fascia, available online and at sports stores. Kinesiology tape differs from regular athletic tape in that it lifts skin cells for increased blood circulation while remaining comfortable to wear, as it doesn’t restrict movement and feels more like skin than its traditional counterpart.

One effective way to ease plantar fasciitis pain is icing your foot regularly. Doing this helps decrease plantar fascia swelling, inflammation, and scar tissue formation. However, beware that using too much ice at one time could damage skin and even cause frostbite.

If you want to keep working out, use quality footwear and adjust your workout regimen to reduce cyclical, repetitive loading of the plantar fascia. This might involve less walking, running, or jumping; using treadmills/elliptical machines instead of long walks/runs on hard surfaces; trying yoga as a form of plantar fasciitis pain relief; if the pain persists, seek guidance from physical therapists for further assistance.

Importantly, it’s essential to recognize that painful feet do not indicate weakness or poor health; instead, they suggest that treatment begins immediately to avoid worsening an existing injury and speed recovery. Plantar fasciitis pain can often be managed through treatments like ice, massage, stretching exercises, activity modification, and taping.

Massage

Kinesiology tape can be an invaluable tool in alleviating plantar fasciitis pain. It can help support feet during activities, reduce heel loading, and enhance biomechanical functions like pronation control. But tape treatments only become effective as part of an overall treatment plan that includes rest, icing, stretching, massage therapy, and physical therapy treatments.

Kinesiology tape provides an effective means of lifting skin and decompressing muscle spaces. This increases blood and lymph flow, helping remove injury waste products while hastening healing.

Kinesiology tape’s elastic properties also help relieve plantar fasciitis symptoms by reducing pressure off this tissue area, relieving some of its load. This can dramatically improve symptoms associated with plantar fasciitis.

To use Kinesiology tape for plantar fasciitis, start with an anchor point on the inside of your foot and start wrapping. Wrap one piece around the metatarsal heads up to the arch. Wrap another across the turn and up the heel, ensuring no stretch at anchor points and 50% stretch on the bottom of the heel/Achilles tendon area.

Once applied, keeping the tape on for at least 24 hours is essential for its elasticity to return and reduce skin irritation. Hypoallergenic undertape should also be applied before using Kinesiology tape on feet for added skin comfort.

Ice can also help relieve plantar fasciitis pain and promote healing by constricting blood vessels to decrease inflammation-related pain and swelling. Ice should be applied directly onto the plantar fascia ligament for 10-15 minutes several times daily for optimal results.

If you haven’t experienced Kinesiology tape for plantar foot pain yet, now might be a great time to try it! Kinesiology tape offers a practical solution, allowing users to maintain full participation while attenuating discomfort and reducing potential side effects of oral anti-inflammatories.