Plantar Fasciitis & Foot Pain | Causes, Injuries, and Lasting Fixes in Westminster, CO

If you're dealing with foot pain that eases up for a while but then returns, there's probably an underlying issue that hasn't been addressed. At Westy Sports Chiro in Westminster, CO, I've helped countless people over more than a decade as a sports chiropractor and former strength coach. My patients range from runners putting in serious miles to weightlifters handling heavy loads, rec league athletes, and busy professionals keeping up with active lives. Foot pain, especially linked to plantar fasciitis, is one of the most common problems I see, and it can make everyday tasks like walking, standing, or working out a real challenge.

You've likely tried the basics, such as rest, ice, or simple stretches, but if the pain keeps returning, we're often not getting to the root cause. This could stem from repetitive stress in sports or imbalances that build up over time. The good news? Ongoing foot pain doesn't have to stick around. With the right approach, we can fix what's really going on and get you moving without limits. In this post, I'll cover the types of foot pain I see most often, explain the specific injuries that might be involved based on years of exams, and share how I evaluate and treat them. For more on what we handle, check out our Conditions page.

Common Types of Foot Pain I See in My Office

Foot pain shows up in different forms, depending on your daily routine, activity level, and how long it's been building. In my practice, I group it into a few main categories:

Chronic Dull Ache from Overuse or Poor Mechanics: This builds slowly, often from long hours on your feet, high-impact exercise, or uneven body alignment. It feels like a steady throb or stiffness in the heel or arch, getting worse with your first steps in the morning, after sitting, or during prolonged standing. I see this a lot in runners ramping up mileage or weightlifters adding jumps without enough downtime.

Sharp Acute Pain from a Strain or Sudden Impact: This comes on fast, maybe during a sprint, jump, or quick turn. It's a stabbing feeling with certain moves, sometimes shooting up the leg or messing with your walk. It's common in athletes and lifters who hit an overload without proper warm-up or technique.

Referred Pain That Feels Like It's in the Foot: Sometimes the source is higher up, like in the calf, ankle, or even lower back, showing as numbness, tingling, or weakness down to the foot. This fools many people into thinking it's just a foot issue.

No matter the form, if the pain keeps coming back, there's usually a deeper injury or imbalance at play. Let's dive into the specifics of what's often damaged, based on patterns from countless assessments. Keep in mind, what gets labeled as plantar fasciitis isn't always just that; it can tie back to nerve problems or tight tissues in the calf or further up the chain.

Pathoanatomical Injuries Behind Recurring Foot Pain

The foot is a complex setup of bones, ligaments, tendons, and fascia built for absorbing shock and pushing off, but it's easy to overload with repeated stress. In my exams, I use orthopedic tests, gait checks, and sometimes imaging to zero in on the problem. Here's what I often find:

1. Plantar Fasciitis: This is inflammation or wear in the plantar fascia, the thick band that supports your arch. It causes sharp heel pain, especially when you first put weight on it. Things get worse with long activities or bad shoes. In active folks, it comes from repeated small traumas, like runners' heel strikes or lifters' explosive moves, made worse by tight calves or weak arches. Studies show it hits up to 10% of runners, and in my office, it's behind 30-40% of foot cases. Left alone, it can turn into chronic scarring.
2. Achilles Tendinopathy: Wear or swelling in the Achilles tendon, which links your calf to the heel, leads to pain at the back of the heel, stiffness, and puffiness that flares during push-offs. It stems from too much load in impact sports or quick training jumps, and it can feed into or mimic fasciitis by changing how you step.
3. Nerve Entrapments (like Baxter's Neuropathy or Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome): Pinched nerves, such as the medial calcaneal or tibial, create burning, tingling, or shooting pain under the heel or arch. This gets mistaken for fasciitis but often starts from tight muscles in the calf or unstable ankles, especially in people with lots of repetitive foot flexing.
4. Heel Spurs or Calcaneal Stress Fractures: Bony growths or tiny heel bone cracks cause deep, throbbing pain that hurts more with impact. They build from ongoing overload, like in lifters doing heavy squats or runners on pavement, and they can show up alongside fasciitis as the body tries to adapt.

These issues don't happen alone; they're usually worsened by mechanics that spread stress unevenly, turning small problems into repeating ones. For example, foot injuries make up about 15-25% of running issues, often from high training without fixes.

The Biomechanical "Why" Behind the Recurrence

Spotting the damaged tissues is key, but to understand why it keeps happening, I look at the full chain from ankle to knee, hip, and lower back. From my strength coaching days, foot pain like fasciitis connects to how the whole body moves. Skip that, and symptoms just loop. Here are the main factors I check and fix:

1. Tightness in the Calf and Back of the Leg: Limited calf muscles (gastrocnemius or soleus) restrict ankle flex, putting extra strain on the plantar fascia. This is common in office workers or athletes who skimp on stretching, and I spot it with motion tests.
2. Nerve Issues and Mobility Problems: Based on neurodynamics, stuck nerves from scar tissue along paths like the tibial or sural can amp up foot pain, often starting in the calf or from lumbar problems. Gentle moves help free them up and ease pinching.
3. Fascial and Tissue Restrictions: Buildup in the foot or calf fascia blocks smooth movement, keeping inflammation going. I use techniques like fascial work to loosen these, particularly in runners with strain or lifters with heavy drops.
4. Instability in the Ankle and Foot: Weak foot muscles or over-pronation/supination mess with shock handling, overloading the fascia. Tests like standing on one leg highlight this in sports folks.
5. Problems Further Up the Chain: Weak hips or misaligned lower back change your stride, leading to repeat issues. For instance, poor core strength can overload the feet indirectly.

Busting Common Myths About Foot Pain Treatment

Myth: Plantar Fasciitis Means Surgery or Lifelong Orthotics.
Truth: Most cases clear up without that, with over 80% success from hands-on care.

Myth: You Need Total Rest to Heal.
Truth: Cutting back helps at first, but staying still weakens things; smart activity builds strength back.

Myth: It's Just Part of Aging or Running a Lot.
Truth: No, it's about how you move, and fixes work for anyone.

Myth: Every Heel Pain Is Straight-Up Plantar Fasciitis.
Truth: It could be nerves or tight tissues; tests sort it out.

Myth: Store-Bought Inserts Solve Everything.
Truth: They help support, but full rehab gets to the cause.

How I Approach Fixing Foot Pain at Westy Sports Chiro

First Visit: We talk through your background, like training habits and shoes, then I run a full check: watching your walk, testing strength, and using specific moves for fasciitis or nerves.

Tailored Treatment: From there, we might do dry needling for tight spots, fascial release or Active Release for stuck tissues, nerve slides for mobility, exercises to build foot strength, and adjustments for better alignment. For runners and lifters, I add tweaks to your routine to cut risks.

Follow-Ups: Start with 1-2 sessions a week, mixing hands-on work with home drills. We track how you're doing, often seeing big improvements in weeks.

Maintenance: Once you're good, occasional check-ins keep you strong, especially during tough training.

FAQs on Recurring Foot Pain

Why does it hurt more after rest or those first steps?
Usually from built-up tightness or nerve issues; a full check pinpoints it.

Can chiro help with plantar fasciitis?
Yes, with adjustments and exercises to cut inflammation and improve movement.

How long until I feel better?
Often 2-4 weeks with steady care.

Safe for athletes?
Definitely, and I customize it for high demands.

Plantar fasciitis vs. nerve entrapment?
Fasciitis is fascia wear; entrapment is nerve pinch. They can overlap, but exams tell them apart.

Bad shoes leading to lasting damage?
Not if we catch it soon; steps to prevent stop it from worsening.