Could your plantar fasciitis be due to compressive forces?

What is plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is a common foot condition that causes pain in the heel or arch of the foot. It is caused by irritation on the plantar fascia, a thick ligament which runs along the bottom of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of plantar heel pain.

Could your plantar fasciitis be due to compressive forces?

Plantar fascia strain

The traditional “strain” theory surrounding plantar fasciitis is that it is caused by excess strain on the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia ligament is a band of tissue that helps support the arch of the foot. When the arch of the foot collapses this ligament then elongates. If the arch collapses too much then there is too much strain on the plantar fascia causing micro tears and leading to inflammation and pain. This theory may still be true in some cases of plantar fasciitis but as a podiatrist I am seeing plenty of other causes of plantar fasciitis including that caused by compressive forces.

Plantar fascia compression

With the “compression” theory you have something causing excessive ground reaction forces around the plantar fascia. This then compresses the heel pad and soft tissue, applying excessive compression forces over the plantar fascia ligament. Such a repetitive force over time will eventually irritate the plantar fascia causing the same pain and symptoms that we know as plantar fasciitis.

If you happen to take an MRI of both the above examples you will see a thickened irritated plantar fascia and the diagnosis will be plantar fasciitis.

How do I know if I have plantar fasciitis caused by compressive forces?

In these cases you may find that your plantar fasciitis does not simply respond to the traditional treatment measures such as:

• stretching
• icing
• taping
• arch support

The above treatment measures often have good success when there is too much strain on the plantar fascia but will have limited success when plantar fasciitis is caused by an external compressive force.

Often I find that patients who have chronic long standing plantar fasciitis that have not responded to previous treatment, often have another cause that has not yet been diagnosed or addressed. Often that cause is an external compressive force placing too much force on the arch and heel, causing plantar fasciitis symptoms. In this instance unless you remove the causative compressive force, your plantar fasciitis wont respond to treatment.

How can I treat plantar fasciitis if it is not responding to treatment?

Diagnosis is the key to successful plantar fasciitis treatment. If your plantar fasciitis is not responding to conventional treatment then it is likely the causative factor is still present and is yet to be diagnosed. It may be that your plantar fasciitis has some form of external compressive force element to it and this may be holding your treatment back.

In my experience some factors that could cause a compressive force on the plantar fascia include:

• footwear
• lack of heel pad cushioning (heel pad atrophy)
• foot biomechanics
• poorly prescribed orthotics

It often takes an experienced podiatrist and one with a keen eye to help diagnose which factors are involved and need to be addressed.

See one of our Melbourne podiatrists for plantar fasciitis treatment

Overall plantar fasciitis treatment can be complex so if your plantar fasciitis is not responding to treatment then we advise you see one of our Melbourne podiatrists for expert diagnosis and treatment. Our team is trained to recognise other causes of plantar fasciitis and diagnosing the cause often leads to successful treatment.

Are you struggling with plantar fasciitis?

At our Melbourne foot clinic our podiatrists are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of plantar fasciitis and plantar heel pain.

So if your plantar fasciitis is not responding to treatment, book an appointment with one of our friendly podiatrists today!