Kinesiology tape provides surprising relief from my plantar fasciitis pain
A misstep in the kitchen leads to a 'lightbulb moment' for this columnist
Walking through the kitchen at my mom’s house recently, I was too busy watching her new kitten, Phineas, play to pay attention to where I was going. I was also barefoot — something that’s rare for me since developing plantar fasciitis, as it’s usually too painful to walk without shoes. A moment later, I felt a sharp, stabbing pain shoot up the middle of my heel. Turns out that Phineas is a fan of playing with his food, and I’d just stepped on a piece of kibble.
I’ve been dealing with plantar fasciitis pain on and off for about two years now. While anyone can get it, it’s more common in people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS).
Because of EDS, my muscles are constantly tightening to try to compensate for my loose joints — including my ankles. The root cause of plantar fasciitis is usually tight calf and lower leg muscles, though the pain is mostly in the foot and heel. Thus, it makes sense that I’d have plantar fasciitis.
Regardless, I’m over it. I spend lots of time on my feet, and it’s frustrating to be in pain all the time. Wearing proper shoes with support has helped some, but not enough.
An old tool shows new promise
After stepping on the cat kibble, I remembered that my mom dealt with plantar fasciitis years ago and had used kinesiology tape, or K-tape, to provide support. I asked her if it helped, and she said yes, so I immediately went diving into drawers to find some leftover tape I could use on myself.
My physical therapists had used K-tape on my shoulder years earlier when it was too unstable for me to do even the most basic exercises. I hadn’t expected much, so I was astounded when the tape helped stabilize my joint enough that I could complete the exercises. I’m not sure I would’ve made the progress I did in physical therapy without it.
K-tape has to be applied in a particular way to be effective, with certain amounts of stretch and pressure going in the correct direction across the affected area. Luckily, it’s easy to find videos online about how to apply it for specific ailments. I found a few approaches for using kinesiology tape to help with plantar fasciitis, and I went for the one that seemed like it’d best support the arch of my foot. As someone with EDS, my feet are flat, and I had hopes this extra support might help.
After carefully cutting, applying, and stretching the tape according to the directions, I got up and tentatively began to walk around. Within a matter of minutes, I could tell that the pain was better. I couldn’t believe it. Given how much my plantar fasciitis bothers me, I was skeptical the tape would work at all, much less instantaneously.
It’s been about two weeks since I started using K-tape, and the difference has been amazing. I have far less heel pain and can actually walk short distances without shoes and not be in extreme pain. From what I’ve read, constant taping for at least six to eight weeks provides the best chance of recovery. I’m definitely going to give it a try. Fingers crossed that I’ll finally make some real progress!
Note: Ehlers-Danlos News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Ehlers-Danlos News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Ehlers-Danlos.
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Leslie Pauling
Hi!
I just finished reading your article that is informative about your journey with plantar fasciitis. Did your Dr. ever tell you about stretching that out before getting out of bed in the morning? My Dr. and I went to the same high school ; missed each other by a couple of yrs. He gave me his usual chat and then he told me about the short cut to healing. Take a large towel, I used a beach towel; twirl it and put it on your pad beneath the toes. Pull it toward you and count till 10. Ease up a little…wait a couple of minutes and (all done gently) then put your foot on the floor. The Dr said it’s pre warmup for actually stepping. If you don’t do it and you put your foot down it’s like ripping off a scab. His trick there is to warm up the surrounding area and stretch out ligaments. I did this to my flat feet everyday and was painfree right away. Give it a try, nothing to lose! 😀😀
Val Arvon
What an awesome idea! I will bring some on a trip we plan to take, just in case. I had chronic plantar fasciitis years ago. The fix for me was buying the Good Feet arch support set (same as NeoVita). I wore those all the time for a year or two. Now I get away with having the active inserts in tennis shoes that I wear inside the house a couple of times a week. The rest of the time I can wear what I want but I don't go crazy. For exercise or longer walking it's good supportive tennis shoes or quality boots. Flip flops, sandals, and light weight tennis shoes like converse for indoor shopping or hanging out but not walking far. I have an acquaintance who I suspect also has EDS and oh my goodness, the multiple falls, ankle sprains, and injuries from wedges and high heels over the years. No thank you, the fashion stops there for me.
Karen Del Vecchio
I'm so glad this gave you an idea, Val! I hope you have a great trip.
Laila Kroll
Hi. Jeg døjer selv meget med mine fødder, så jeg kunne godt tænke mig at vide hvordan jeg skal lægge tapen. Kærlig hilsen Laila fra Denmark
Karen Del Vecchio
Hi Laila. There are many tutorials online about how to apply K-tape depending upon what issue you're having. There are also a few different techniques to try for plantar fasciitis, which is what I have, so I Googled it to explore. This is the video I wound up using for myself. Best of luck!
Stanley Guest
Leuko tape works very well also. I am prone to plantar fasciitis as I am on the hyper mobility spectrum and also have an equinus foot alignment of the feet. With The Leuko tape support I can. Hike and run despite the plantar fasciitis. I posted a video of taping technique on our company YouTube channel (Clegg and Guest Physical Therapy). My hyper mobility allows me to self tape.
Haylin Fley
Thank you for the recommendation. I use tape for my right shoulder subluxation, and it works great. I also struggle with bilateral plantar fasciitis for 6 years now. I tried everything, shoe inserts, wear new shoes every 3 months, stretching the arch with methods like the rolling a tennis ball under my feet, a frozen water bottle, causing myself a stomach bleed from taking ibuprofen to lower inflammation. In between, I went to my podiatrist multiple times crying to get an injection to calm it. He told me that eventually, I would need surgery for a more permanent solution.
I was physically exhausted, and mentally tired from pain and treatments alike. I’m a nurse and worked in the ICU , so being on my feet is a must. Calling out or getting time off was (through Covid) and is very difficult due to shortage of staff.
As a last resort, I bought myself a cupping machine and started using it for my heels. At the beginning, it made me cried like a baby but I kept doing it at least twice a day. It has helped me be able to get relief without having to go to the doctor for surgery.