Plantar Fasciitis
Treatment.

Sometimes it can improve on its own, but many cases become chronic if left untreated. When plantar fasciitis becomes long-standing, the healing process slows down significantly, and scar tissue can start to develop around the plantar fascia. This makes the condition more stubborn, more painful, and much harder to treat. Early intervention with a biomechanical assessment gives you the best chance of fast, full recovery.

Not always, but many patients benefit from them if biomechanics are a significant factor. Your podiatrist will assess your foot posture, gait pattern and activity levels during the biomechanical assessment and recommend orthotics only if they are clinically appropriate for your case.

Usually no. We guide you on safe loading so you can stay active. Complete rest is rarely the answer — controlled, progressive loading helps the fascia heal stronger and prevents long-term weakness.

This is classic for plantar fasciitis — the fascia tightens overnight while you sleep, then gets painfully stretched when you take your first steps. This is why morning heel pain is such a strong diagnostic sign.

Not exactly. Heel spurs can occur with plantar fasciitis but are not always the cause of pain. Many people have heel spurs on X-rays but experience no symptoms at all. The pain comes from the inflamed plantar fascia, not the spur itself.

Yes — especially with poor running mechanics, incorrect footwear or sudden increases in training volume or intensity. Runners are one of the most common groups we treat for plantar fasciitis.

Not always. Steroid injections can temporarily reduce inflammation, but they don't fix the underlying cause of your heel pain. Most cases of plantar fasciitis improve with proper biomechanical assessment, footwear correction, strengthening, and load management — without needing an injection. Many of our patients in Arnold and Nottingham recover fully using conservative treatments alone. However, if your assessment indicates that a steroid injection would be clinically beneficial, we do offer this treatment as part of your personalised care plan.

Steroid injections shouldn't be the first option for plantar fasciitis because they mainly mask the pain rather than addressing the underlying cause. While they may offer short-term relief, the effect often wears off, and repeated injections can weaken the plantar fascia. In some cases, this increases the risk of small tears or long-term irritation. If the condition has already become chronic or scar tissue has formed, an injection alone is unlikely to resolve the problem. A proper biomechanical assessment is far more effective, as it identifies the root cause of your heel pain and allows us to create a personalised treatment plan that delivers long-term improvement rather than temporary relief.

Most patients begin to see improvement within 8–12 weeks when following a structured plan. Full recovery varies depending on how long you've had plantar fasciitis, your biomechanics, activity levels, adherence to exercises, footwear, and weight-bearing demands at work. Our job is to give you the quickest, safest and most effective pathway to recovery.

Plantar fasciitis often returns because the underlying biomechanical cause was never addressed. Simply resting, using ice, or taking painkillers masks the symptoms temporarily but doesn't fix the root problem. If your foot posture, gait mechanics, or footwear are still putting excessive strain on the plantar fascia, the pain will return. A biomechanical assessment identifies and corrects these issues to prevent recurrence.

A biomechanical assessment is a comprehensive 90-minute evaluation of how you stand, walk and move. It includes foot posture analysis, gait evaluation, podoscope assessment, joint range of motion testing, muscular strength and flexibility checks, and footwear analysis. Plantar fasciitis is almost always the result of a biomechanical imbalance — meaning the way you walk, stand or move is putting excess strain on the fascia. The assessment reveals the exact cause of your heel pain so we can create a personalised treatment plan that actually works long-term.

Off-the-shelf insoles from the chemist may provide some cushioning, but they are generic and not designed for your specific biomechanics. Many patients waste money trying different insoles hoping something will work. Custom orthotics are precisely designed based on your foot shape, gait pattern and the findings of your biomechanical assessment — which is why they are far more effective for treating plantar fasciitis long-term.

Our clinic is in Arnold, Nottingham. We see patients from across Nottinghamshire including Gedling, Carlton, Mapperley, Woodthorpe, Ravenshead, Hucknall, Daybrook, Bestwood, Calverton, Lambley, Burton Joyce, West Bridgford, Beeston, Bingham, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Mansfield, Newark, Retford, Worksop and surrounding areas.

We are recognised as one of the leading podiatry and sports injury clinics in the UK for biomechanics and plantar fasciitis treatment. Our podiatrists combine advanced gait analysis, podoscope assessment and evidence-based treatment planning to diagnose the root cause of pain and improve long-term performance. We treat plantar fasciitis every single day — from runners to nurses, retail staff to office workers — and our patients consistently tell us we helped them when other treatments failed.