Put simply, it’s a painful condition that causes discomfort on the sole of the foot, usually near the heel, the general medical consensus is that plantar fasciitis is caused by:

- excessive load
- over-stretching of the plantar surface (sole of the foot)
- overuse of the foot
- poor biomechanics

Additional factors include;

- poor shoe selection
- inefficient gait…movement from the feet up
- poor balance
- over-pronation (associated with flat feet)
- over-supination (associated with high arches)
- weak intrinsic muscles of the feet

At last…a consistently successful way to treat Plantar Fasciitis

There are many suggested treatments for plantar fasciitis with numerous studies presenting variable and inconsistent results, so success is mixed and recurrences can be frequent, leaving therapist and patient equally frustrated, which begs the question ‘what are we missing’?

Barefoot Science is incredibly effective at easing pain and getting people back on their feet quickly and safely. Not just by treating the symptoms but by stimulating, strengthening and retraining the feet which means;

- better performance
- pain free activity and
- minimal chance of recurrence!

If you are reading this you’ve probably got it, or had it and are worried it will come back to haunt you! So, what can you do? Best professional advice, research studies, folk-lore, blind faith and of course the internet have probably led you to try some or all the following methods;

Here’s the thing…

Wearing Barefoot Science insoles is like having your own ‘in-shoe’ personal trainer reminding you to strengthen your intrinsic muscles and activate your proprioceptive nerves to improve balance… Nearly 3 million people worldwide say Barefoot Science works!

Current clinical guidelines include the use of foot orthotic devices for heel pain and plantar fasciitis, but lack any reference to the strengthening of the foot. Temporary support may be needed during the acute phase of an injury but it should be replaced as soon as possible with a strengthening program just like with any other part of the body.

Many of our customers explain that they have tried many orthoses prior to discovering BAREFOOTSCIENCE.

This article describes that scenario.

Other Treatment methods for Plantar Fasciitis
If you’ve visited a Physiotherapist or Podiatrist with plantar fasciitis, they may use treatment protocols including;

- Shockwave therapy
- Ultra Sound therapy
- Laser
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories
- Taping
The success of such treatments is variable and recurrence is not uncommon... so what is being missed?

Barefoot Science insoles:‘the missing link’. How do they help treat Plantar Fasciitis?

Barefoot Science insoles are specially constructed insoles with a patented dome shape in front of the heel in an area of the foot called the mid-arch. On the underside of the dome there is a socket in to which you insert 6 or 7 plugs which increase progressively in size which provide a gradually increasing amount of nerve stimulation to ‘switch on’ your proprioceptive system and to retrain and strengthen the intrinsic muscles of the feet with every step. Barefoot Science insoles will improve your balance, help control pronation and encourage re-supination of your feet which means your feet and legs can function as nature intended.

This results in:
- Better foot control at ‘ground contact’
- Improved propulsion at ‘toe off”
- Better balance
- Pain free movement
- Strengthening of the foot rather than permanent dependency on bracing or support

Pretty much every person who tries them says the same thing… ”they just make sense“!

What is Proprioception and why is it so important?
Any article about plantar fasciitis or in fact pretty much any injury wouldn’t be complete without an explanation of Proprioception…the Body’s Built-In Injury Avoidance System.

There are 200,000 proprioceptors (nerve endings) in the sole of each foot. On every step they transmit information about movement, balance and spatial awareness, nourishing the brain with sensory information that;

- tells us where we are in space relative to things around us.
- tells each bone where it is relative to the bones adjacent to it.
- provides information about movement and balance.

Proprioceptive nerves also trigger the ‘stretch reflex’ without us consciously thinking;

- Our “Stretch Reflex” is activated when the proprioceptors sense too much stretch or force on a muscle or tendon that could lead to injury. The stretched muscle or tendon responds by contracting or shortening in a fraction of a second, automatically protecting us from injury.
- Olympic Coaches have commented that Barefoot Science insoles have reduced their athlete’s ankle sprains by 50% due to this natural injury prevention gift.

Barefoot Science insoles were developed specifically to stimulate proprioception from the feet up, and in 2019 became an approved product by the British Chiropractic Association.

One of the US military’s leading foot specialists, Dr. Michael Olden stated that 60% of the cases he has treated during his 30 year career are Plantar fasciitis.

His report continues as follows;

“I’ve been using Barefoot Science insoles on my patients for the past 7 years with a 97.6% success rate on plantar fasciitis“.

“I have constructed and tried many orthotics but found most of them were more accommodating to ‘functional foot conditions’, keeping the foot aligned and rigid, yet never strengthening the foot, although there is a myriad of devices that claim they do so. In my experience none of them worked for the purpose of strengthening the intrinsic muscles. I started working with Barefoot Science a few years ago, and it has really turned our practice into a healing clinic”.

He goes on to say; “Strengthening the arch and feet and their respective intrinsic muscles effectively allows the patients feet to become self-supportive over time and eliminates revisits for the same issues”.
“We’ve moved away from bracing the feet with orthotics which tended to provide short term benefits but caused additional weakness and instability, to progressively strengthening the feet with every step my patients take“.

Respectfully,

Mike Olden H.t; Ost; C-Ped; Pmac. American Board for Certifications in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics. *Board Certified Pedorthist

As Mr Olden said “the proof is in the pudding, try it for yourself!
By Dr. Stuart Gordon