Plantar fasciitis is a condition where the plantar fascia is injured. There are various causes for the injury to the plantar fascia. There are some people who injure the fascia because of the high intensity sports that they play. There are many other people who do not involve themselves in any sort of sports, but still seem to end up with torn or ruptured plantar fascia. In fact there are some people who lead a simple life and still suffer from the damage to the fascia.

When the plantar fascia is injured, there is inflammation and other signs of injury in that area. This is called as the plantar fasciitis. An inflammation of a particular part of the body is called as 'itis'. So when the plantar fascia is injured and swollen, it is called as plantar fasciitis.

The common causes of the injury and swelling in the plantar fascia that causes plantar fasciitis are as follows:

1. Overweight:

Any person who is overweight will have a high risk of injuring the plantar fascia. When the obese person keeps walking, the plantar fascia is put through a lot of stress. This stress leads to plantar fasciitis. Stretching the plantar fascia in the morning and also whenever possible is one of the methods of preventing plantar fascia.

2. Pregnancy:

The mechanism of injury of the plantar fascia in a pregnant woman is the same as that in the person who is obese. When the pregnant woman increases in weight, the transmission of the weight through the foot causes an excessive stretch on the plantar fascia leading to the injury of the plantar fascia. Overstretching occurs that leads to pain and inability to walk. Though it is not ethical to prevent the person from becoming pregnant, there are certain exercises that can be taught to the person who is overweight or pregnant. These exercises will stretch the plantar fascia and so prevent the fascia from undergoing a lot of stress when some activity is being done.

3. Excessive pronation of the foot:

There are some people who do not have normal foot mechanics. The foot is either turned inwards or outwards that changes the whole alignment of the foot. This causes the foot to be put through a lot of stress and the structures in the foot including the plantar fascia can get damaged when the tissues in the foot are stretched. Since this is a mechanical problem, dealing with this may not need medicines, but needs only a mechanical intervention. In fact, changing the shoes or inserting a insole that prevents the excessive rotation of the foot will be the best method of preventing the plantar fasciitis.

4. Athletic injuries:
There are many athletes who suffer from plantar fasciitis. These people may start their period of training without any adequate warm up period. This lack of warm up will cause the plantar fascia to become stretched as soon as the person starts to run. This sudden stretch can cause injury to the fascia and lead to pain. Adequate warm up is very important to prevent injuring the foot in this method.

Since plantar fasciitis may not be completely cured, there needs to be adequate steps taken to prevent the condition from arising. Stretching the fascia is the single most important method of preventing plantar fasciitis.

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