Question: I have had plantar fasciitis for nine months, and have been treated with physiotherapy, arch supports, Orudis gel, cortisone injections and osteopathy. I still have foot pain with walking. Is there anything else that I can do?
The arch of the foot is maintained by a strong ligament along the outside of the foot and under the sole. If this ligament (the plantar fascia) becomes inflamed because of injury, the patient develops the painful condition of plantar fasciitis.
The most common place for the inflammation to occur is the point where the ligament attaches to the heel bone, and the ligament may actually tear away from the bone by a fraction of a millimeter, resulting in considerable pain that may persist for months. You have tried all the recognized treatments for the condition with the possible exception of taking anti-inflammatory tablets, but these may upset your stomach.
Many patients suffer for months with this problem, but most eventually settle with time. My advice at this stage would be to persist with the arch supports in good shoes, walk quietly and never run or jump, ride if you can avoid walking (even riding a bike or using roller skates is better!) and try using anti inflammatory tablets provided your stomach can tolerate them.

Question: I have plantar fasciitis that has been plaguing me with pain for years. What causes this problem? Can massage or other treatments help?
The problem may start after excessive exercise (eg. an unusually long run or walk), after a sudden sharp injury (eg. landing heavily after jumping), or it may start for no apparent reason.
The most important treatment is rest, and several weeks on crutches may be very beneficial. Other treatments include the anti-inflammatory tablets that you have already taken, pain-killers, physiotherapy and occasionally steroid injections into the foot. As a last resort, the foot may be put in plaster for a few weeks to ensure total rest. Massage would be more likely to irritate the problem than help.

Tags: Foot Care, foot injury, foot pain, heel pain

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