Plantar Fasciitis

Nov 01, 2016

When it comes to feeling great from the ground up, everything begins with the right shoe.  Chances are, you’ve heard of or experienced Plantar Fasciitis, one of the most common foot problems humans have faced since we started walking.  It’s an inflammation of the long ligament that extends from the heel, along the bottom of the foot, to the toes.  When the area connecting this ligament to the heel bone gets injured or stressed, small tears can result in big pain.  A dull ache can travel throughout the foot and become a daily guest that no one invited.

Unfortunately there are many ways to sustain an injury in this sensitive spot.  Sudden movement can bring it on, or simply the chronic stress of daily walking on tough surfaces.  Common conditions like over-pronation, flat feet, or high arches can combine to cause tightness resulting in an injury, when, for example, you suddenly lift a heavy weight.  Often, poorly-fitting shoes are the culprit.  But with a great pair of shoes, we can soothe, improve, and even prevent flare-ups. 

You’ll find amazing shoes across Ascent’s entire line designed to conquer Plantar Fasciitis.  Let shock-absorbing cushioning take the hit when you walk on pavement, tile, concrete, dirt, or rock – wherever your day takes you – so your feet don’t have to.  From cross-trainers to a dozen styles of workboots and everything in-between, give your ligaments a rest with the ultimate shock-absorber, Insulon foam cushioning.  We also use X-IT Foam and polyurethane midsoles to ease the impact of foot to ground.

Maintaining stability through the midsole with smartly-designed stabilisers allows inflamed tissue to heal, and prevents new damage from occurring.  The Crib Midfoot Stabiliser that you’ll find in ultra-sturdy duty shoes like the Baron will keep your feet steady and secure.  And Dual Density Midsoles like in the men’s Defender 3 school shoe and women’s Harmony 3 cross-trainer help control excessive side-to-side motion, and the inflammation it can cause.

Now let’s take this battle to the front line – the heel.  A stabilizing wedge moulds right around the heel for rock steady stability in the Foundation.  You’ll also find thermoplastic heel counters in cross-trainers like the Creation 4, providing amazing back-of-the-foot support.  And with special Insulon heel cushioning in Apex school shoes and Kinetic running shoes, the heel is king. 

Keeping arches in proper alignment de-stresses the entire foot.  We give arches the respect they deserve with soft polyurethane support cup insoles, in walking shoes like the Geelong Plus and Avara Plus.

And finally, you need a durable outsole that won’t wear out quickly and unevenly, leading to more over-pronation and stress.  Check out the aptly named Perpetual rubber, with ten times the durability of regular rubber, on school shoes like the Cluster 2, as well as on the Creed walking shoe.

Life can stress your feet out, and painful injuries like Plantar Fasciitis are a normal hazard we all face.  But with the right footwear you can protect yourself, allowing your foot to heal, and letting you to get back to work, school, and normal life, free from pain.