With summer now in full swing, many of us will be out running, trying our best at soccer to support the World Cup and gearing up our tennis skills with the French and US Open upon us. But since many of us are not pros, we may succumb to plantar fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis (PF) is the most common cause of foot pain, and odds are if you’re active in exercise or an athlete, you probably have suffered through it. It’s characterized by inflammation of the tendons and muscles of the foot and calf where they insert on your heel, and is usually burning and sharp in sensation and worst with walking when you wake in the morning. You are at risk if you have flat feet, a leg length discrepancy, stand for long periods of time on hard surfaces, and are overweight.

The best treatment is of course prevention. Know your limits with running and jogging; excessive exercise, especially on hard surfaces, will increase your chances of having PF. If you are flat footed, consider having custom soft orthotics in place; these will help decrease excessive motion within the shoe. Talk to a trainer, your physical therapist, or physician about proper taping techniques to reduce pronation, or inward rolling of the foot.

If you fail to prevent it, PF can be treated and usually resolves within six months. To reduce the pain and increase activity, anti-inflammatories, rest, and ice will speed recovery. Literature has also suggested the use of ultra flexible training shoes, specifically mid-sole, versus conventional training shoes. If basics are not working, a corticosteroid injection and low dose shockwave therapy have been shown to benefit. Physical therapy with specific calf strengthening can also benefit.

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Jeffrey M. Ciccone, MD, specialized in various forms and techniques of anesthesia and pain management. Learn about Mount Sinai’s Pain Management and Integrative Medicine at www.mountsinai.org/painmgmt.