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Plantar fasciitis taping is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to treat plantar fasciitis because it is easy enough to do at home and requires no specialized equipment. It provides low cost support to the afflicted foot, simultaneously preventing further damage and stopping the pain caused by constant aggravation of an already inflamed tendon.
The basis for this treatment is that the tape acts to decrease the pressure on the plantar fascia by limiting the extent to which it can stretch. In arch taping, the tape acts as a short term arch support, stopping the foot from over pronation, protecting the plantar fascia from further stress and damage during movement. In full foot taping, the sole of the foot is completely taped, providing considerable immobilisation of the tendon.
At the same time, taping can also be used to prevent damage to the fascia tendon from occurring in the first place, reducing the likelihood that plantar fasciitis will develop. This is clearly important for top flight athletes and people who lead very active lifestyles, as well as former sufferers who simply do not want the condition to reoccur.
The precise method of taping the plantar fascia is relatively straight forward. However, it can be quite difficult to do for yourself, and many sufferers have someone else tape their afflicted foot for them. This is especially important until you learn the correct taping technique to benefit from this method.
Arch plantar fasciitis taping does not stretch out the plantar ligament, but supports it as it runs underneath the foot arch. This treatment for plantar fasciitis can be a little tricky to do for yourself because you tape from the outside of the foot towards the inside flexing the big toe joint to create a high arch as you do so. Full foot plantar fasciitis taping is done by separately covering the ball of the foot and the heel with tape and then connecting the heel to the toes using a criss-cross taping pattern until the whole sole of the foot is covered. This provides the plantar fascia with the maximum support.
One tip from one who has made the mistake - Always apply the tape on clean, dry feet or you will find the tape unravels as you move!
However effective it is, plantar fascia taping does not address the root cause of the foot pain, namely why the condition arose in the first place. Instead it treats only the symptoms of plantar fasciitis (poorly supporting shoes, over exercise, excessive weight). If you want total relief from your foot pain you must also use other techniques to cure your plantar fasciitis.
