Most people think plantar fasciitis hurts because the tissue is damaged.

But the sharp pain actually comes from something else.

When the plantar fascia is strained, the body releases a pain chemical called PGE2 into the heel.

Its job is to make the area sensitive so you stop putting pressure on it while it heals.

Normally, once healing starts, blood flow clears that chemical away and the pain fades.

But the plantar fascia has very poor circulation.

So the PGE2 doesn’t clear out the way it should.

It lingers inside the tissue.

And every day you walk, the body releases more of it.

Over time the nerve endings in the heel become chemically overstimulated.

That’s why the first step in the morning can feel like stepping on broken glass.

The tissue may be trying to recover…
But the pain signal never shuts off.