Plantar Fasciitis: Etiology and Treatment

Mark W. Cornwall, Thomas G. McPoil

Plantar fasciitis is a common pathological condition of the foot and can often be a challenge for clinicians to treat successfully. The purpose of this article is to present and discuss selected literature on the etiology and clinical outcome of treating plantar fasciitis. Surgical and nonsurgical techniques have been used in the treatment of plantar fasciitis. Nonsurgical management for the treatment of the symptoms and discomfort associated with plantar fasciitis can be classified into 3 broad categories: reducing pain and inflammation, reducing tissue stress to a tolerable level, and restoring muscle strength and flexibility of involved tissues. Each of these treatments has demonstrated some level of effectiveness in alleviating the symptoms of plantar fasciitis. Previous studies have grouped all forms of nonsurgical therapy together. It is, therefore, difficult to determine if one type of treatment is more effective compared with another. Until such research is available, the clinician would be wise to include treatments from all 3 categories.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1999;29(12):756-760.

Key Words: foot pathology, injury overuse, treatment

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