Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammation of a band of tissue called the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a thick, gristly band of fibrous connective tissue that begins on the bottom surface of the heel bone (calcaneus) and runs forward through the arch to the ball of the foot behind all five toes. It has been estimated that plantar fasciitis occurs in around 0.5% of the population at any one time and in 10% of the population at some time in their lives. People are born with a propensity to develop plantar fasciitis due to their foot type. When it will occur depends on the intersection of three variables.
1) How bad the foot condition is. If it is a severe impairment of healthy foot function, you may develop symptoms from as young as 16 years of age. If your first episode doesn't occur until your 80s, your foot condition was mild.
2) Your activity. Given two identical feet, the chef who stands for 12 hours per day, will have symptoms years before the sedentary accountant will.
3) Body weight. Similar to the example above, excess weight will bring the timing of symptoms forward.
The pain is usually felt under the heel in the middle or toward the front / inner margin. It might also hurt through the arch, toward the back of the heel pad or create a prickly feeling around the outer margin of the heel. Pain is usually bad for the first few steps after rest, improves as the area warms up and then worsens again with prolonged use.
Mostly, the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis is made in the clinic, on physically examining the sufferer. The history of the pain will be important: duration, intensity, what worsens it, what lessens it, etc. The podiatrist, who will be familiar with the anatomy of the area, will find the painful spot (or spots) by systematically palpating the area. Occasionally, x ray imaging is used but rarely shows anything of use. A small bony calcification on the bottom of the heel bone often is seen but it is important to realize that it is the underlying condition of plantar fasciitis, not the spur itself, which creates the pain. The pulling causes the spur, the pulling causes the pain. The spur does not cause the pain.
There may be a need to differentiate between plantar fasciitis and inflammation of the Flexor Digitorum Brevis muscle belly. Ultrasound imaging can be employed to visualise fluid within the FDB muscle fibres rather than in the fascial attachment.Orthotics Brisbane use orthotic inserts to cure the plantar fascia pain for the long term.
