Plantar fasciitis

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Plantar fascia

Plantar fasciitis

Conservative treatment is almost always successful, given enough time. Duration of treatment can be anywhere from several months to 2 years before symptoms resolve, although about 90% of patients will be better in 9 months.

Initial treatment usually consists of heel stretching exercises, shoe inserts, night splints, and anti-inflammatory medications. If these fail, casting the affected foot in a short leg cast (a cast up to but not above the knee) for 3-6 weeks is very often successful in reducing pain and inflammation. Alternatively, a cast boot (which looks like a ski boot) may be used. It is still worn full time, but can be removed for bathing.

Some physicians will offer steroid injections, which provide lasting relief in about 50% of people. However, this injection is very painful and not for everyone.

In a few patients, non-surgical treatment fails and surgery to release the tight, inflamed fascia becomes necessary.

Nearly all patients will improve within 1 year of beginning non-surgical therapy, with no long-term problems. In the few patients requiring surgery, over 95% have relief of their heel pain.

A complication of non-operative therapy is continued pain. In surgical therapy, there is a risk of nerve injury, infection, rupture of the plantar fascia, and failure of the pain to improve.

Contact your health care provider if you have symptoms of plantar fasciitis.

Review Date: 09/21/2006
Reviewed By: Jeffrey Kauffman, MD, Sacramento Knee and Sports Medicine, Sacramento, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.