Plantar fasciitis simply means an inflammation of the fascial tissues of the sole of the foot. For those who have experienced it, the pain is no simple matter it can be quite excruciating. There are a number of things that can result in Plantar Fasciitis and there are a number of structures of the foot and lower leg that can be involved. As with any injury, once the cause of the problem has been removed the body sets to work to repair the tissues and heals the damage. If the treatment is not resulting in healing and reduction in pain, perhaps the real cause of the problem is not being addressed.
This is Debby’s story.
Deb commenced running a few years ago after recovering from some surgery. She had no significant problems apart from the usual muscle soreness that accompanies this type of activity and had completed two marathons without any significant problems. Whilst running her third marathon, the 2012 Gold Coast Marathon, she stepped on an uneven edge of the road and rolled her ankle. It did not seem too bad at the time and she was able to finish the race but afterwards her foot became sore under the heel.
Deb wisely sought treatment and the painful area was treated with ultrasound and strapping to provide ankle support. The pain persisted and became more severe, so much so, that she could not continue with work as that involved being on her feet and the pain became unendurable. Deb tried to stay active, bought new running shoes and had orthotics fitted hoping that would help but the pain persisted and she was not able to exercise much at all.
I first saw Deb fifteen months after the pain had started and was very surprised that in all the treatment she had received, no one had examined the muscles of the lower leg, they had all worked on the foot only. The lower leg and foot is a very complex structure and most of the muscular structures of the lower leg attach to the foot, so any tightness or spasm of those muscles can impact on their respective points of attachment. This was the case with Deb where that rolling of the ankle created knots or trigger points in the muscles of the lateral compartment of the lower leg and the tension caused a tendonitis at the site of attachment under the foot.
The treatment involved releasing the locked muscles in the lateral compartment with massage to loosen and lengthen the muscles and stretching to get them working again.
Deb found that the pain reduced immediately and was mostly gone within a few days. She kept up some massage on the area herself and returned for a follow up massage on her legs to balance out any other tightness that had developed from fifteen months of limping and discomfort. She commenced running the following week and completed three running sessions without experiencing any pain in the area. She had some very sore muscles from the increased activity, but she was expecting that.
This is a simple case of finding the real cause of problem, releasing that, and allowing the body get on with the healing process. So often the cause is not located at the site of the pain. See Debby’s comments in testimonials.