If you frequently stand on ladders, you may have noticed that your heels are hurting as well. This pain can be caused by plantar fasciitis (also known as heel spurs), which is caused by the plantar fascia ligament that runs along the bottom of your foot being overworked and injured.
What Is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is a painful disorder of your foot’s connective tissue – the tissue that connects your toes to your heel bone. When you overuse, stress, or injure those tissues (including plantar fascia), you can trigger symptoms like pain, tenderness, inflammation, stiffness, and more. Standing on your feet all day may be linked to plantar fasciitis.
What Are the Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis?
The most common symptom of plantar fasciitis is heel pain that occurs in the morning. Some patients may feel pain during or after walking, although most describe pain upon first standing up in the morning.
Many patients also experience sharp heel pain when they take their first steps after being inactive for an extended period, such as sitting at a desk all day at work.
Can Standing on a Ladder Cause Plantar Fasciitis
Standing for long periods can be uncomfortable for anyone, but it’s especially painful for people with plantar fasciitis.
The common misconception is that standing causes plantar fasciitis, but it isn’t caused by one specific factor. However, certain activities like standing in one place or walking upstairs can worsen its symptoms.
There are certain habits you can pick up while standing that may worsen your plantar fasciitis.
For example, if you wear high heels or shoes without proper arch support, you could damage your plantar fascia.
It’s also important to stretch your calves when they feel tight. When they’re properly stretched, they prevent your heel from rising off of the ground which puts added stress on your plantar fascia.
You should also make sure to only stand in one place for short periods as it increases pressure in your feet. This will not necessarily cause permanent damage to anything but it does make an already uncomfortable situation worse for those with plantar fasciitis.
How to Avoid Plantar Fasciitis
You can prevent plantar fasciitis by standing safely. If you have plantar fasciitis, or if you would like to prevent yourself from getting it, one of your best bets is to buy anti-fatigue mats for your home or office.
This goes above and beyond proper shoe support but can help with working around in high heels too. Everyone who works around ladders must use safety products when doing so.
Safety products include ladder mats that prevent slipping and keep you from falling, even if you’re carrying something in your hands.
If you already have plantar fasciitis, these products can reduce your discomfort by absorbing shock as you stand for long periods.
Conclusion
It’s really hard to get accurate information about how to cure plantar fasciitis. The internet is full of self-proclaimed experts who give advice that often contradicts each other.
I would advise you to not stand on a ladder at all if possible, but if you must, try to do it as little as possible and make sure your weight is distributed evenly through both feet.
If your pain persists, consult with a doctor right away. You may need some steroid injections in your heel or possibly even surgery.
Joseph is the owner of LadderGeek. He is a home remodeling enthusiast. He has created this blog to share some of his knowledge on Ladder and accessories.
