If the first steps you take in the morning feel like walking on broken glass, plantar fasciitis is probably the culprit. It’s one of the most common causes of heel and foot pain and one of the most frustrating, because it tends to improve during the day only to flare back up the next morning.

The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot, connecting your heel bone to your toes. When it becomes inflamed or overstressed, the result is that sharp, stabbing heel pain that makes the first few minutes of every morning miserable.

What most people don’t realize is that plantar fasciitis often has a root cause that goes beyond just the foot. Alignment issues in the ankle, knee, hip, or even the lower spine can place excessive stress on the plantar fascia and make it nearly impossible to fully heal without addressing those contributing factors.

We approach plantar fasciitis by looking at the whole picture — not just the foot. A thorough evaluation helps us understand exactly what’s driving the problem so we can build a treatment plan that actually gets you better and keeps it from coming back.