Plantar Fascitis

The plantar Fascia is a band of tissue that travels from the base of the calcaneus (heel bone) and extends distal to the toes.

The Plantar Fascia’s purpose is to hold up the arch of your foot and assist with motion of the foot.

The Plantar Fascia can become damaged and irritated through direct trauma and/or, most often, chronic micro tears. This can lead to the condition known as plantar fascitis.

90% of plantar fascitis is treatable by conservative measures, and the majority of patients will not require surgery.

It is important to note that once plantar fascitis is treated, it is still important to adhere to stretching as plantar fascitis can recur, especially in those who have suffer from it before.

Treatment plan

• Rest: The key to treating any inflamed tissue is to rest the area and avoiding activities which can cause pain.
• Stretching: The gold standard in treating plantar fascitis is stretching. The plantar fascitis is connected dirrectly to the calf muscle, having equinus (tight calf muscles) is often the driving force in developing plantar fascitis.
• Splints/Strassburg Sock: DME that will assist in stretching the calf muscles while at rest.
• NSAIDs/Injections: Injections of low dose steroids coupled with NSAIDs, whether OTC or Rx, can assist in reducing inflammation.
• Physical Therapy: Once stretching and anti-inflammatories have failed, a proper physical therapy referral can aid in treatment.
• Surgery: Once all conservative treatment measures are exhausted, surgery is an option – the exact surgery will vary from patient to patient, but it will most often entail releases of the plantar fascia as well lengthening of the equinus (tight calf muscles)

Avoid:

• Barefoot/Minimally supportive shoes: Shoes like sandals, flip flops, and even some shoes that do not provide arch support can illicit increased pain to the plantar fascia
• Standing/Certain activities: Standing for long hours or high impact activities such as running or playing sports