Plantar fasciitis is the most common injury that occurs in the foot of runners. The plantar fascia is a very strong ligament like structure that attaches to the base of the toes in the ball of the foot and to the heel bone (calcaneus). The role of the plantar fascia is to support the arch of the foot and function as part of the windlass mechanism in the foot which is part of the foot’s own autosupport system.
Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation or degeneration of the plantar fascia that occurs when too much load has been applied to it, beyond what the structure can adapt to. The most common place for symptoms is at the insertion of the plantar fascia into the calcaneus. The classic symptom is pain at the insertion, that is much worse when getting out of bed first thing in the morning.
The cause of plantar fasciitis is anything that can increase the load in the plantar fascia. In runners, this is related to a tightness in the calf muscle, activity levels and foot biomechanics.
There are many treatments that have been advocated for plantar fasciitis, but the most logical ones would be those aimed at reducing the load in the plantar fascia. If this load is not reduced, there is likely to be a poorer outcome in the long term. The load in the plantar fascia can be reduced, but reducing weight bearing activities and substituting others (eg deep water running or cycling); strapping can be used to reduce the load. The only other way to reduce the load is to use certain design features on foot orthotics, and not all foot orthotics can reduce the load. The many other treatments advocated for plantar fasciitis are all really aimed at getting the damaged tissues to heal, but do not address the load in the tissues.
Related posts:
Comments on this entry are closed.