Plantar Fasciitis and Foot Pain

These are a few common diagnoses we screen and treat for regarding foot pain and plantar fasciitis symptoms. This list is not exhaustive as many symptoms and concerns do not have great diagnoses.

1. Heel Spur
2. Severe’s Disease
3. Plantar Fasciitis
4. Myofascial Trigger Points
5. Bruised Heel Pad
6. Myalgia
7. Posterior Tibial Tendonitis
8. Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
9. Metatarsalgia
10. Sprain/Strain
11. Low Back Radiculopathy

Plantar fasciitis mainly occurs as the result of two distinct problems or dysfunctions: 1) shortened myofascia or 2) over-stretched myofascia. Plantar Fasciitis is often a collective diagnosis incorporating any pain with the bottom of the foot created by the plantar fascia, plantar aponeurosis, quadratus plantae, and flexor digitorum brevis. Depending on the tissue irritated and dysfunction classification, treatment procedures for a successful outcome are very different.

What causes pain and what is the source of pain are two different matters. However, these two matters, conceptually, become jumbled up into one. We should always separate these two as they are profoundly different. Causes can be infinite. The way you think, feel, move, or rest may cause the pain. Therefore “causes of pain” may be infinite. However, the source of pain may be local to the place of pain, irritating local pain fibers, or much further away, resulting in the need for further investigation and categorization of the pain if long-lasting results, or results at all, are the desired outcome.

Plantar Fasciitis is often an improper diagnosis of a condition not known to the general population or within healthcare. Diagnosed Plantar Fasciitis is often calcification, or hardening, of the flexor digitorum brevis tendon underneath the plantar fascia. Most of the time, what we have clinically found to be true is, various myofascial units, when irritated, produce this referral pain merging on the bottom of the heel. This all can easily be treated without extensive intervention.

The foot complex is divided into 3 sections – rearfoot, midfoot, forefoot. Collectively, they function to produce an integrated triple arch with communication and myofascial support merging roughly in front of the ankle – relatively the shoelace position.

The collectivity of communication from the brain, myofascial support, and boney alignment/support maintains the arches through standing, walking, running, and jumping. Above the heel bone lies the talus. This bone has no ligamentous attachments to it for support. It works like a ball bearing to provide gliding movement of the shin on the foot or vice versa.

The foot often coincides with the hip. We can never prove which came first – the chicken or the egg – however they often go hand in hand. The foot can become overstressed to accommodate for the lack of stability in the hip or vice versa.

When a local problem is determined to be a local cause, it can be due to an imbalance of soft-tissue structures. This requires mobilization and release of tight structures in addition to strengthening weak or inhibited structure of the painful joint as well as the joints above and below.

Classic symptoms of plantar fasciitis include pain and discomfort with taking the first few steps in the morning or after prolonged periods of sitting. Symptoms are usually local to the bottom of the foot near the calcaneus or heel bone. Symptoms often dissipate after walking, massaging, or mobilizing the bottom of the foot for a few minutes.

By offering our various programs we can quickly assess and test what is driving your symptoms and in turn providing quick options for care. Because of this, we will not only speed up recovery, but decrease overall expenses.