There is a tight ligament (band of fibrous tissue) that stretches across the arch, from the ball of the foot to the heel bone, called the Plantar Fascia. When we walk, our feet have a tendency to roll inward, toward each other, in a motion that we call pronation. When feet pronate, they flatten, stretch out and the arch elongates. This causes excessive pulling on the Plantar Fascia ligament and attachment of the ligament to the heel bone begins to separate. An injury occurs where the ligament progressively tears off of the heel, fiber by fiber.
There are a few causes to this painful conditition:
1. Recent weight gain
2. Increased actitivity level
3. A change of shoes
4. Fallen arches- when the arch of the foot begins to fall
5. Arthritis
6. Thinning of the Heel Fat Pad
