Plantar fascitis

Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the thick connective tissue on the sole of the foot that attaches to the heel (aponeurosis or plantar fascia). The function of this band is to tighten the base of the foot, maintaining the plantar curvature, and cushion the impact derived from the act of movement on the sole of the foot.

In general, plantar fasciitis is due to overuse (very common among athletes), its stretching, or the presence of certain predisposing factors, such as having flat feet, excess weight, presence of a tendon Achilles tense or age.

Until recently it was thought that this problem was only associated with the presence of a heel spur (calcaneus), and although it is true that this is one of the causes of plantar fasciitis, it is not the only one. The spur is a bump on the heel bone.

The presence of this structure causes inflammation of the adjacent tissues, including the plantar fascia and, like plantar fasciitis, causes pain and difficulty in walking.

The classic symptom of plantar fasciitis is pain, sometimes disabling, either in the sole of the foot or in the heel. This usually appears from the first hour in the morning, when the patient is just getting up, and it subsides throughout the day, improving with rest. If you walk long distances, the pain is usually worse.

Treatment usually includes physical therapy, the administration of analgesics and anti-inflammatories, and the modification of the distribution of plantar forces with templates or plantar supports. In acute cases, corticosteroid infiltration can be used directly into the plantar talar fascial insertion.