Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

Symptoms associated with plantar fasciitis typically last about two to four months. Ninety percent of people report resolution of symptoms within one year. For a deeper dive into how PlantarTech works, check out our How it Works section.

“I was inspired to create the PlantarTech Strap after suffering from plantar fasciitis myself. Traditional boots and splints were just too cumbersome to wear, and I wanted a low-profile, ergonomical alternative to night splinting.” – Dr. Derek Amanatullah

For more information about Dr. Amanatullah, visit our Meet the Doctor page.

The following provides general background on various approaches that are commonly used to manage plantar fasciitis. You should talk with your doctor if you have any questions about what approaches are best to help you manage your own plantar fasciitis.

Symptoms associated with plantar fasciitis typically last about two to four months. Ninety percent of people report resolution of symptoms within one year. For a deeper dive into how PlantarTech works, check out our How it Works section.

The following provides general background on various approaches that are commonly used to manage plantar fasciitis. You should talk with your doctor if you have any questions about what approaches are best to help you manage your own plantar fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. It accounts for 10-15% of all adult foot symptoms presenting to healthcare providers.

Plantar fasciitis is slightly more common in women than men. Those at greatest risk are between the ages of 40 and 70.

Interestingly, 65% of the time plantar fasciitis is not associated with participation in sports.

What causes plantar fasciitis?

What causes plantar fasciitis?

“Micro-damage from inflammation, trauma, or repetitive stress can cause plantar fasciitis.”

How do I know if I have plantar fasciitis?

How do I know if I have plantar fasciitis?

“A sign that you might have plantar fasciitis is if you have pain in your heel with your first step out of bed in the morning.”

How long does it take for plantar fasciitis to heal?

How long does it take for plantar fasciitis to heal?

“With conservative treatment, plantar fasciitis symptoms typically last between 2-4 months.”

What are some of the best treatment options for plantar fasciitis?

What are some of the best treatment options for plantar fasciitis?

“Night splinting, daily stretching, and supportive footwear are the best treatment options for plantar fasciitis. The reason each of these treatments often fail is because they are easy for your doctor to recommend, but hard to do in real life. Let’s face it, traditional night splints are not attractive or comfortable. The PlantarTech strap offers a practical, low-profile, sleek alternative to night splints.”

Read our blog posts for plantar fasciitis pain relief tips and more.

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Symptoms Under 6 Months
Symptoms Over 6 Months
Symptoms Persist After One Year

For Symptoms Under 6 Months

Non-weight bearing plantar fascia stretching (like the kind PlantarTech helps you do) will provide significant short-term relief after six months of use [DiGiovanni 2006]. Physical therapy should focus on non-weight bearing gastrocnemius and plantar fascia stretching.

Some studies suggest that adding ultrasound, myofascial release [Kuhar 2007], low lying laser [Macias 2018], and iontophoresis [Cinar 2018] to physical therapy do not provide additional relief.

Some studies suggest that braces and splints that utilize immobilization of the ankle, like dorsiflexion night splints [Powell 1998], walking casts, or CAM boots [Tisdel 1996], provide no better pain relief when compared to non-weight bearing plantar fascia stretching [Probe 1999]. They also suggest that custom orthotics are no better than pre-fabricated orthotics [Pfeffer 1999].

Unfortunately, medications are not very effective against plantar fasciitis [Donely 2007], specifically non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS), like ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib, diclofenac, etc.

For Symptoms Over 6 Months and Stretching or Immobilization Have Been Utilized

A steroid/cortisone Injection can provide 1-3 months of relief [Ang 2015]. However, steroid/cortisone injections have a 2-7% risk of plantar fascia rupture 2-7% [Uğurlar 2018 and Li 2018].

Platelet rich plasma injections appears to provide no additional benefit over a steroid/cortisone injection [Jain 2018].

There is only anecdotal evidence to support dry needling, botulinum toxin (BoTox) injection, or whole blood injection. A preliminary industry sponsored study of dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (dHACM) injection showed 3 months of relief but the results for this invasive treatment were not compared to normal improvement without treatment or to a steroid/cortisone injection [Cazzell 2018].

Extra-corporeal shock wave therapy is a non-invasive acoustic pulse to a specific painful site. While there is no consensus on amount and duration of this therapy, it has shown significant improvements in pain for 3 months with one application of 1,500 to 3,800 high-energy shock waves [Buchbinder 2002, Wang 2006, Kudo 2006, Dogramaci 2010, Porter 2018, Uğurlar 2018, Li 2018].

If Symptoms Persist After One Year of Nonsurgical Treatments, Surgical Options are Limited

A complete or partial rupture of the plantar fascia via surgery [Marafko 2007], a corticosteroid injection, or a collagenase injection had a less than 50% satisfaction rate and functional consequences to the arc of the foot. This should only be considered in severe refractory cases [Gibbons 2018].

A proximal medial gastrocnemius muscle recession outperforms a partial rupture of the plantar fascia in pain and return to function [Molund 2018 and Monteagudo 2013].

FAQs

How common is plantar fasciitis?
What causes plantar fasciitis?
Who is affected by plantar fasciitis?
What makes this splint different from others on the market?

How common is plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. It accounts for 10-15% of all adult foot symptoms presenting to healthcare providers.

What causes plantar fasciitis?

Repetitive trauma and cumulative micro-damage resulting in inflammation of the plantar fascia, typically occurring at base of the toes or the heel. This may be caused by sports like running, dancing, ballet, or martial arts.

Who is affected by plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is slightly more common in women than men. Those at greatest risk are between the ages of 40 and 70.

Plantar fasciitis is classically associated with heel or toe pain during weight bearing activities and may be provoked by a change in activity level. The plantar fascia supports about 15% of your total body weight.

Interestingly, 65% of the time plantar fasciitis is not associated with participation in sports.

What makes this splint different from others on the market?

We are so glad you asked.

Traditionally, plantar fasciitis is treated with static splinting. Static splinting provides a continuous stretch on an already inflamed plantar fascia, which can result in an uncomfortable burning sensation on the bottom of the foot. While static splinting is effective, it is not practical.

Static splinting does not allow for:

Mobility: PlantarTech provides full and complete range of motion of the foot and ankle.
Adjustability: Our splint allows you to increase or decrease dynamic tension by adjusting the tightness of the splint or the position of your ankle.
Comfort: This splint provides minimal coverage of the foot, which allows for normal heat and moisture exchange as well as daily wear.

We developed a low-profile dynamic tension plantar fascia splint to increase patient compliance and allow for daily wear.