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What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Posted on 04-01-2026 in Plantar Fasciitis by Dr. Erik Nilssen

Posted on 04-01-2026 in Plantar Fasciitis by Dr. Erik Nilssen
Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. The plantar fascia is the flat band of tissue that connects your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot. If you strain your plantar fascia, it gets weak, swollen, irritated & inflamed. Then your heel or the bottom of your foot hurts when you stand or walk.
Plantar fasciitis is common in middle-aged people. It also occurs in younger people who are on their feet a lot, like athletes or soldiers. It can happen in one foot or both feet.

Footwear serves several useful functions, including protecting our feet, cushioning our body weight, providing comfort and, of course, adding a fashionable element to our wardrobe choices. However, selecting the proper footwear can also make a difference in your overall foot health. As you consider those fun new kicks, we encourage you to be mindful of how the right type of shoe can help you avoid injury or further exacerbate existing foot and ankle conditions. Specifically, ill-fitting shoes can be painful and cause issues such as bunions, hammertoes, plantar fasciitis, Lisfranc injuries and more.

May is National Arthritis Awareness Month, and of the more than 100 forms of this painful condition, many can affect the ankle. In fact, almost half of people in their 60s and 70s have arthritis of the foot and/or ankle, but not all of them have symptoms.

North Florida Bone & Joint Specialists continues to embrace the healthcare technology revolution by adding custom, on-site manufacturing of durable medical equipment (DME) from XO Armor Technologies.