Typically, plantar fasciitis results from repeated trauma to the tissue where it attaches to the calcaneus. This repeated trauma often results in microscopic tearing of the plantar fascia at or near the point of attachment of the tissue to the calcaneus. The result of the damage and inflammation is pain. If there is significant injury to the plantar fascia, the inflammatory reaction of the heel bone may produce spike-like projections of new bone called heel spurs. The spurs are not the cause of the initial pain of plantar fasciitis, they are the result of the problem.
Most heel spurs are painless.
It typically starts as a dull, intermittent pain in the heel and may progress to sharp, constant pain. Often, it is usually worse in the morning or after sitting, and then decreases as the patient begins to walk around. In addition, the pain usually increases after standing or walking for long periods of time, and at the beginning of a sporting activity. Often people who develop plantar fasciitis have several risk factors for doing so. However, the recovery time varies tremendously from patient to patient.