If your heel area is all swollen, and you feel a sharp pain, then this can be a sign of “plantar fasciitis.” Don’t panic! It is quite a common medical condition. However, it makes life difficult as staying on your feet becomes almost impossible. So, you’ve got to take care of it. And the best way to do so is by using plantar fasciitis taping.

What is plantar fasciitis taping?

There are many ways to treat plantar fasciitis. But the most common and effective way of doing so is using tapes. Yes, that’s right. But these aren’t the regular tapes you find at the store. You’ve got to get your hands on the zinc oxide tape or kinesiology tape. This is the stuff you see athletes wearing on their shoulder and knees. But how does the tape help with the pain?

As you know, the inflammation causes the pain under the heel. And the more pressure you put on the plantar fascia ligament, the more it swells. What the tape does is it helps to decrease the pain by offering support to it. It does so by reducing the stretching of the ligament. Should be noted; it gets time to heal.

Plantar fasciitis or Bruised heel: Know the difference

Often people mistake plantar fasciitis with regular foot pain. This can lead them to damage the ligament more as they won’t take proper measurements for the condition. This is why you need to look for symptoms.

• Pain under the heel is a telltale sign of plantar fasciitis.
• Also, if your heel is all swollen, then it also indicates the issue.
• The pain spreads through the foot, and you can feel it all over the foot arch.
• You will feel slightly uncomfortable whenever you put pressure on the heel. And the pain will increase over time.

To sum it all up, if you see such signs, then you might be dealing with plantar fasciitis and not some regular bruised heel. And you need to take care of it before it gets out of hand.

• Pain under the heel is a telltale sign of plantar fasciitis.
• Also, if your heel is all swollen then it also indicates the issue.
• The pain spreads through the foot, and you can feel it all over the foot arch.
• You will feel slightly uncomfortable whenever you put pressure on the heel. And the pain will increase over time.

If you see such signs, then you might be dealing with plantar fasciitis and not some regular bruised heel. And you need to take care of it before it gets out of hand.

How to tape to treat the plantar fasciitis?

Now, there are two types of tapes to treat plantar fasciitis. One is the athletic tape that most of us are familiar with. And there is the other one, the kinesiology tape. And we are going to show you how to tape the foot with both kinds. So, no worries if you choose one over the other.

Tape with athletic tape:

• The first step is to tape around the forefoot. This is the anchor strip that will hold up the entire thing together. One important thing, make sure while taping the foot is all relaxed. You don’t want to tape around a tensed foot as it will do more harm than good.
• Similarly, secure the heel area with another strip of tape. Make sure to apply the tape flawlessly. Don’t tape too tight, nor let it be loose.
• You’ve applied the anchor tapes. Now it is time to get underfoot. For that, you need to use tapes along the length of the foot. From forefoot to the heel. Apply as much tape as you need. However, don’t employ it too tightly. Yes, you want to reduce the movement of the ligament. But you need to leave some room to let it stretch. If you don’t, then it will block the blood flow and cause more issue.
• Apply some more anchor tapes over the support tapes so they won’t come off.

Tape with kinesiology tape:

• It is quite similar to the sport taping with some little changes. Start the same way as told in the earlier one. So, tape the forefoot. But for the second part, you won’t be applying the second anchor tape at the heel. Instead, go around the foot area.
• Next, you will apply some tape from the heel area. But in a crisscross pattern. So cut some tape and apply from the heel to the forefoot. Apply tapes from end to end in a cross pattern. Once done, then you move to the next part of the taping.
• While taping with athletic tape, we don’t apply tapes to the width of the underfoot. But with kinesiology tape, we will cut some stripes and apply them horizontally. Keep applying until you cover the entire cross pattern.
• Now, press the tapes gently to smoothen things out.

How does the taping help the pain?

You know the gist of it. As you know, plantar fasciitis is the swelling and the pain under the foot. The excruciating pain makes it impossible for you to put any pressure on it. Now, what the taping does is it provides a structure. It makes sure the ligament isn’t stretched too much when you try to walk or stay on foot. Because if it stretches too much, the tissue won’t get the chance to heal as it’s constantly moving. The taping provides an arch to keep everything in place.

Conclusion:

Plantar fasciitis taping is an excellent method to treat heel pain and swelling. However, certain things need to be worked out to make this work.

The very first thing is to choose the type of tape. For this, you can talk with a physician to help you find the right thing (Example- Foot Massaging) to treat your fascia.

Also, you need to master taping techniques. It would take some time to figure out the best way to tape. But once, you get the hang of it; you can surely rip the benefits of proper taping.