When you think of injuries during sports, people commonly think of conditions such as ankle sprains and ACL tears. However, there's one type of injury that often affects athletes that is more common than people realize.

Behind closed doors, many athletes suffer from plantar fasciitis. This includes notable athletes such as Kobe Bryant and Pete Sampras.

What is plantar fasciitis?

In your foot, there's a fibrous piece of tissue known as the plantar fascia that goes between the heel to the toes. When this band of tissue becomes inflamed, it causes pain in the foot. The condition is therefore called plantar fasciitis. It can occur in all types of patients, which is why it's not known as a "sports injury".  Since an athlete is naturally more active, he or she may stress the areas around the foot and lead to inflammation.

Here are two forms of pain relief that we recommend at BetterBraces (and you'll want to check in with your doctor to make sure these forms of treatment are appropriate for your situation):

  • Wear a brace for plantar fasciitis when participating in sports. This can help reduce the stress on the foot and may relieve or prevent pain so you can keep playing.
  • Wear a plantar fasciitis night splint when you sleep. Plantar fasciitis night splints help with pain by keeping the plantar fascia stretched out overnight. (Typically the worst pain from plantar fasciitis occurs in the morning after waking up... night splints can help relieve this pain.)

If you're experiencing foot pain after sports, you may want to check in with your doctor to see if it could be plantar fasciitis!