Plantar Fasciitis & Heel Pain Treatment
If the first few steps out of bed in the morning are the worst part of your day, you are describing the single most recognisable feature of plantar fasciitis.
Pain underneath the heel is extremely common. The plantar fascia is a strong band of connective tissue running from the heel towards the toes, supporting the arch of the foot and loaded repeatedly every time you stand, walk or run. When it becomes painful, everyday things — the school run, a day on your feet at work, getting back out running — turn into something you plan around.
You may also see the condition called plantar fasciopathy. That term is a little more accurate, because persistent plantar heel pain usually involves changes in the structure of the fascia rather than straightforward inflammation. Plantar fasciitis remains the name most people know it by.
Although plantar fasciitis is the best-known cause of heel pain, not every painful heel is caused by the plantar fascia.
What does plantar fasciitis feel like?
Typical plantar fascia pain occurs underneath or towards the inside of the heel.
The characteristic feature is pain during the first few steps in the morning, or after getting up following a period of sitting. The pain often eases as you start moving, then returns after prolonged standing, walking or running.
Symptoms can develop after a change in activity, footwear or training, although sometimes there is no obvious trigger at all.
What else can cause heel pain?
Several things can cause pain around the heel:
- plantar fascia-related pain
- Achilles insertional tendinopathy
- retrocalcaneal bursitis
- irritation of nerves around the ankle or foot
- heel fat-pad problems
- stress injury to the heel bone
- referred pain from elsewhere
Where the pain sits is the first clue. Pain underneath the heel points towards the plantar fascia. Pain at the back of the heel, where the Achilles tendon attaches, is a different problem with a different treatment — there is more about that on our Achilles tendinopathy page.
The location and the behaviour of the symptoms both matter when making the diagnosis.
Do I need an ultrasound scan?
Not everybody with plantar heel pain needs a scan. The diagnosis can often be made from the history and clinical examination alone.
Diagnostic ultrasound is useful when the diagnosis is uncertain, when symptoms have persisted despite treatment, or when another condition is suspected. The plantar fascia can be examined for changes in thickness and structure, and the surrounding soft tissues assessed at the same time.
An abnormal scan finding does not automatically mean it is responsible for your pain. Imaging is read alongside the location of your symptoms and the clinical examination, not on its own.
If a stress injury or another bone abnormality is suspected, an X-ray or MRI may be more appropriate.
How is plantar heel pain treated?
For most people, treatment starts conservatively.
That may include temporarily modifying the activities that aggravate it, improving calf and foot strength, stretching where appropriate, and gradually increasing the load the foot can tolerate. Physiotherapy is where most of this work happens.
Footwear matters more than people expect. A supportive shoe can make a substantial difference on its own, and some patients benefit from heel cushioning, insoles or orthotics.
Body weight also influences the load passing through the foot, and where appropriate, weight management can form part of the overall plan.
Where do steroid injections fit?
A steroid injection, sometimes called a cortisone injection, may be considered for persistent plantar fascia pain where conservative treatment has not given enough relief.
It is not usually the first treatment, and it is not appropriate for everyone. The potential benefit has to be weighed against the risks of injecting around the plantar fascia, and we will go through both with you before you decide.
Where an injection is appropriate, it is performed under ultrasound guidance, so the fascia and the structures around it can be seen and the medication placed accurately.
The clinician who assesses your foot and scans it is the same one who gives any injection and then guides your rehabilitation afterwards. The injection is planned as one step in getting you walking comfortably again, not as a treatment on its own.
Getting the diagnosis right
Persistent heel pain is frustrating, particularly when it has simply been labelled “plantar fasciitis” without anyone considering the alternatives.
At Meyer Physio we combine the clinical examination with diagnostic ultrasound where imaging is likely to add something useful. Where ultrasound is not the right investigation, we will say so and recommend further imaging or a specialist opinion.
The aim is to establish the most likely source of the pain and build a pathway back to comfortable walking, exercise and activity.
What does it cost?
Every appointment lasts a full hour. Where a diagnostic scan is needed, that appointment is charged at the scan rate, which replaces the standard consultation fee rather than being added to it. Current prices are on our prices page.
Plantar fasciitis treatment in Weybridge
Meyer Physio assesses and treats plantar heel pain at its clinic on Baker Street in Weybridge, Surrey, combining clinical assessment, diagnostic ultrasound, injection therapy and rehabilitation in one place. You can come to us directly — no GP referral is needed to book an appointment, and there is no waiting list.
Written by Suegnet Meyer, Advanced Practice Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist and MSK Sonographer. HCPC registered [PH55635]. Chartered Society of Physiotherapy member [66175]. Last reviewed: 28 October 2026.