Treatments Classes

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is a common foot condition characterised by inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of each foot and connects the heel bone to the toes. This band of tissue supports the foot’s arch and absorbs shock during walking or running. Inflammation of the fascia can lead to heel pain, particularly when walking or standing. Plantar fasciitis often develops due to overuse, improper footwear, or biomechanical issues.

Visit our Specialist Clinic

Here you can see more information, specialist practitioners and linked conditions.

Book Now

Symptoms

Symptoms
1.Pain in the bottom, arch, or heel of the foot.
2.The pain is often worse first thing in the morning for the first few steps or after a period of inactivity.
3.The pain may decrease with activity throughout the day, however it can become worse after long periods of being on your feet.
4.Tightness of the posterior leg muscles (calf and hamstrings).

Treatments

Plantar Fasciitis can be treated using a variety of different methods, and your physiotherapist will be able to identify which treatments would be best for your symptoms.
Conservative therapies are the preferred approach to treat plantar fasciitis and are successful in 85-90% of cases [1].
Physiotherapists commonly employ stretching and strengthening exercises as the initial therapeutic approach. Intrinsic foot muscle weakness has been found to be associated with foot pain, therefore exercises that aim to target the toe flexors, ankle plantarflexors, and the deep muscles within the arch of the foot are beneficial to regain muscle function, strength, and reduce pain [2,3]. Stretching exercises targeting the plantar fascia and big toe flexor have also been shown to provide improvements in pain symptoms [4]. Manual therapies, including massage, have also been shown to significantly improve pain and function particularly when combined with stretching of the plantar fascia [5].
Foot orthoses are also found to significantly improve plantar fasciitis symptoms by reducing strain on the fascia through the prevision of medial arch support and the reduction of foot pronation [6]. In comparing custom and prefabricated foot orthotics, both demonstrate equal effectiveness in alleviating pain [7,8].
Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) is another common treatment modality for plantar fasciitis and is believed to stimulate the natural formation of new blood vessels and induce tissue repair and regeneration [1]. It has been found to significantly improve pain over the short, medium, and long term, and has similar outcomes compared to surgical approaches for plantar fasciitis [9,10] . ESWT is suggested as a viable option when conventional conservative treatments have proven ineffective [11].

References

1.Covey CJ, Mulder MD. Plantar fasciitis: How best to treat. J Fam Pract. 2013 Sep 1;62(9):466-71.
2.Huffer D, Hing W, Newton R, Clair M. Strength training for plantar fasciitis and the intrinsic foot musculature: A systematic review. Physical Therapy in Sport. 2017 Mar 1;24:44-52.
3.Osborne JW, Menz HB, Whittaker GA, Landorf KB. Development of a foot and ankle strengthening program for the treatment of plantar heel pain: a Delphi consensus study. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research. 2023 Oct 3;16(1):67.
4.Woitzik E, Jacobs C, Wong JJ, Cote P, Shearer HM, Randhawa K, Sutton D, Southerst D, Varatharajan S, Brison RJ, Yu H. The effectiveness of exercise on recovery and clinical outcomes of soft tissue injuries of the leg, ankle, and foot: A systematic review by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) Collaboration. Manual therapy. 2015 Oct 1;20(5):633-45.
5.Renan-Ordine R, Alburquerque-SendÍn F, Rodrigues De Souza DP, Cleland JA, Fernández-De-Las-Penas C. Effectiveness of myofascial trigger point manual therapy combined with a self-stretching protocol for the management of plantar heel pain: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapy. 2011 Feb;41(2):43-50.
6.Baldassin V, Gomes CR, Beraldo PS. Effectiveness of prefabricated and customized foot orthoses made from low-cost foam for noncomplicated plantar fasciitis: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 2009 Apr 1;90(4):701-6.
7.Hawke F, Burns J, Radford JA, Du Toit V. Custom‐made foot orthoses for the treatment of foot pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2008(3).
8.Whittaker GA, Munteanu SE, Menz HB, Tan JM, Rabusin CL, Landorf KB. Foot orthoses for plantar heel pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British journal of sports medicine. 2018 Mar 1;52(5):322-8.
9.Uğurlar M, Sönmez MM, Uğurlar ÖY, Adıyeke L, Yıldırım H, Eren OT. Effectiveness of four different treatment modalities in the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis during a 36-month follow-up period: a randomized controlled trial. The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery. 2018 Sep 1;57(5):913-8.
10.Wang CJ. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy in musculoskeletal disorders. Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research. 2012 Dec;7(1):1-8.
11.Lou J, Wang S, Liu S, Xing G. Effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy without local anesthesia in patients with recalcitrant plantar fasciitis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation. 2017 Aug 1;96(8):529-34.
Next... Prolapsed Disc - Lumbar