Does your patient have Plantar Fasciitis ( Heel Pain)?

Does your patient have Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar Fasciitis describes damage to the plantar fascia – a band of tissue that starts at the heel and spans your arch like a fan to connect to the toes. Plantar fasciitis is a relatively common foot injury Podiatrists treat and is characterised by:

• Pain first thing in the morning when starting to walk that eases after a few minutes
• Pain on standing after rest
• Both sharp and throbbing pain that starts on the bottom of the heel and may radiate up into the arch
• Pain on palpation of the plantar heel and medial calcaneal tubercle

Plantar fasciitis occurs by overloading the plantar fascia to the point of damage. It can occur from you any activity that overloads the fascia but commonly occurs from:

• Increased physical activity
• Activity for a significantly longer time that the body is conditioned to
• Poor footwear that fails to support the arch and causes increased strain on the fascia
• Abnormal foot biomechanics such as flat feet that stretch the fascia beyond limits
• Poor training technique

This has a significantly negative impact on the lives of your patients because it limits not only their participation in physical activity and exercise but also their ability to work if they stand on their feet and move around for work. Additionally, business shoes often cause further irritation to the fascia and as such, the condition can persist for months and years.

Footcare Specialist Podiatry treats patients suffering from plantar fasciitis every day and so have extensive clinical experience in managing this painful condition that we’ve seen take years to begin to resolve naturally. Our management plan includes:

• Acute injury management if the patient presents immediately after sustaining the injury (though most patients wait months before presenting, thinking it’ll resolve naturally)
• Initially low-dye strapping to relieve pressure from the plantar fascia (patients notice a significant reduction in pain while the foot is strapped)
• Footwear assessment to ensure patients are not aggravating their injury through their footwear while the fascia heals
• Orthotic therapy to relieve strain from the fascia with every step and allow the fascia to heal while the patient remains mobile for work
• Identifying the exact cause of the plantar fasciitis where known and implementing techniques or educating to prevent recurrence once the tissue has healed
• Targeting any other biomechanical abnormalities that may have contributed to the development or persistence of the plantar fasciitis (e.g. tight calf musculature that pulls on the heel which in turn pulls and increases strain on the fascia)

If you’d like effective expert management for your patients with plantar fasciitis, please don’t hesitate to refer them to us. We will inform you of our initial assessment and their management and results over time.

Our clinic details are: www.aucklandpodiatryclinic.co.nz

Many thanks and it’s a pleasure to be working with you!

– The Footcare Specialist Podiatry Team

Call on 09 214 9585 / 021 1248 684 and bring them in today!