#heelspur

Benn J S Boshell

Sep 5, 2018
6 min

Diagnostic Tests for Plantar Heel Pain

Diagnostic tests come in many forms, with each possessing strengths and limitations in their usefulness for diagnosing chronic heel pain that has failed to respond to treatment. This article will review the main diagnostic tests used to help diagnose heel pain. X-rays X-rays have been, and are still, the most commonly used imaging tool used to help diagnose heel pain. The most common cause of heel pain by far is plantar fasciitis. X-rays, however, assess for bony abnormality

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Orthotics (Insoles) for Plantar Fasciitis

Benn J S Boshell

Aug 6, 2018
6 min

Orthotics (Insoles) for Plantar Fasciitis

Before we start, I just need to clarify the nomenclature pertaining to those weird and wonderful objects people put in their shoes. Most of you know them as insoles or orthotics. To be pedantic, the use of the word orthotics to describe the objects one places in their shoes is incorrect. The term Orthotics actually refers to the branch of medicine that deals with the provision and use of artificial devices such as splints, orthoses, and braces. The correct term for the insole

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Are Your Shoes Causing Plantar Fasciitis?

Benn J S Boshell

Aug 1, 2018
3 min

Are Your Shoes Causing Plantar Fasciitis?

There is an all too common link between poor, unsupportive footwear and plantar fasciitis. I see this association in my clinics daily. Unfortunately, this is largely due to the modern shoe industry which focuses shoe design on fashion purposes instead of what is supportive for a person’s feet. Shoes which are considered fashionable after often very flat with thin soles and flimsy, meaning they bend excessively in the heel section and midsole. A plimsoll is a classic example

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Benn J S Boshell

Jul 29, 2018
3 min

Strengthening Exercises for Plantar Fasciitis

In this article I discuss the idea behind strengthening exercises to help with plantar fasciiitis and take a brief look at some recent research into the effectiveness of strengthening exercises, along with me personal views on whether they are important. Rationale Strengthening exercises are often overlooked in the conventional treatment of plantar fasciitis. This may be due to the notion that strengthening exercises may place further strain on the plantar fascia and worsen t

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Is plantar fasciitis caused by being overweight?

Benn J S Boshell

Jul 28, 2018
3 min

Is plantar fasciitis caused by being overweight?

Healthcare professionals are known for blaming a large number of health conditions on obesity for example, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, arthritis etc. Many plantar fasciitis sufferers that visit their GP (general practice doctor) are often told they need to lose weight and are promptly rushed out of the door without much further advice. This can lead to many patients not feeling understood and that their weight is wrongfully blamed by their doctor as the cause

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Benn J S Boshell

Jul 26, 2018
2 min

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Injection

This short article will look at PRP injections as a treatment for plantar fasciitis. Rationale Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections are a relatively new treatment that involves taking a patient’s own blood (usually from the arm) and placing the blood into a special machine (centrifuge) to separate different components of the blood. This allows the clinician to use concentrated levels of platelets and growth factors found in the blood sample which is then injected at the site

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Plantar Fasciitis Anatomy and Why You Need to Know it

Benn J S Boshell

Jul 24, 2018
2 min

Plantar Fasciitis Anatomy and Why You Need to Know it

In order for patients and professionals to understand plantar fasciitis, they must have at least a simple appreciation of the anatomy of the plantar fascia. In short, the plantar fascia has 3 main portions: 1. central band 2. medial band 3. lateral band The reason you need to know this is because together the plantar fascia covers a large area of the foot and not everybody experiences plantar fasciitis in the same place or indeed in the same band. Central Band of Plantar Fasc

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Not Plantar Fasciitis? Heel Pain of Neural Origin

Benn J S Boshell

Jul 22, 2018
7 min

Not Plantar Fasciitis? Heel Pain of Neural Origin

The most common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis, however there are other conditions that mimic plantar fasciitis heel pain which go under the radar and are misdiagnosed as plantar fasciitis. When this occurs, patients often don't respond well to the treatment plan leading to clinician and patient frustration. This article will focus on nerve pain as the source of heel pain. Heel pain of a neural origin can be a debilitation condition for sufferers and may play a role

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Extra-corporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) for Plantar Fasciitis

Benn J S Boshell

Jul 21, 2018
4 min

Extra-corporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) for Plantar Fasciitis

What is shockwave therapy? shockwave therapy is a relatively new technology used to treat chronic (long-term) soft tissue disease such as plantar fasciitis that has failed to respond to normal treatment. The technology is based on lithotripsy, which has been used for many years to treat kidney stones. High-energy sound waves are created and focused on the injury using a special applicator. Shockwaves are repeatedly appl ied to the injury area, which breaks down scar tissue a

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Benn J S Boshell

Jul 21, 2018
3 min

Can I Exercise with Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fascia friendly exercise A commonly reported complaint from patients is that they cannot exercise due to their pain which contributes to weight gain. As being overweight has been identified as a risk factor for plantar fasciitis this causes a significant problem. There is a general consensus amongst health professionals that running is one of the worst exercises for aggravating plantar fasciitis. This is believed to be partly down to the high impact nature of running

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Leg Length Discrepancy and Plantar Fasciitis

Benn J S Boshell

Jul 20, 2018
3 min

Leg Length Discrepancy and Plantar Fasciitis

The development of plantar fasciitis is believed to be due to excessive mechanical stress placed on the plantar fascia that is greater than it can withstand. The plantar fascia is a strong and tough connective tissue that is designed to withstand high levels of mechanical stress. There are many reasons why the plantar fascia might be subject to increased levels of stress including muscular tightness of the calves and hamstrings, excess foot pronation etc. In this article, I w

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Are Night Splints a Good Treatment Option?

Benn J S Boshell

Jul 19, 2018
5 min

Are Night Splints a Good Treatment Option?

Hands up if you like wearing a night splint... No? Me neither! But they do offer a fantastically effortless way of reducing the dreading morning pain that most plantar fasciitis sufferers experience. Night splints prevent the overnight shortening of the calf muscles and plantar fascia whilst we sleep. During sleep, your feet naturally fall into a plantarflexed position. This means the feet are pointing downwards. This causes the calf muscles which are attached to the Achille

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Do I really need to stretch my calf muscles? What's the point?

Benn J S Boshell

Jul 17, 2018
3 min

Do I really need to stretch my calf muscles? What's the point?

Ever wondered why you've been told you need to stretch your calf muscles when you have pain in your heel? What's the connection and does it really help? This article discusses the link between your calf muscles and plantar fasciitis and whether it's worth your time and effort to do stretching exercises. Rationale Tightness of the calf muscles has long been implicated as a causative factor in plantar fasciitis. The main effect of having tight calf muscles is reduced ankle join

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Are Tight Hamstrings Linked to Plantar Fasciitis?

Benn J S Boshell

Jul 16, 2018
2 min

Are Tight Hamstrings Linked to Plantar Fasciitis?

Over recent years there have been a number of studies demonstrating a link between tight hamstrings and plantar fasciitis. However, hamstring stretches are not a commonly prescribed exercise by clinicians for plantar fasciitis treatment. So we need to ask the question - should the treatment plan also include hamstring stretches? Let's take a look... Study 1 A study published in the journal, Foot & Ankle Specialist (2011) found that participants (86 of 210 feet) with hamstri

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Benn J S Boshell

Jul 15, 2018
5 min

Plantar Fasciitis FAQ's

What is Plantar Fasciitis? (fashee-EYE-tiss) Plantar fasciitis is a common painful foot condition located mostly at the heel. Although originally thought of as an inflammatory process, plantar fasciitis is a disorder of degenerative changes in the plantar fascia leading to thickening of the fibre and may be more accurately termed plantar fasciosis (Lemont et al 2003). Plantar means the bottom of the foot, and fascia is the fibrous tissues that connect the heel bone (calcane

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Plantar Fasciitis or Heel Spur? The Chicken or The Egg?

Benn J S Boshell

Jul 15, 2018
6 min

Plantar Fasciitis or Heel Spur? The Chicken or The Egg?

Patients often ask "Do I have a heel spur or do I have plantar fasciitis?" This is a conundrum which comes up time and time again and is possibly due to the two terms being used synonymously by different healthcare professionals when diagnosing patients with heel pain. It may also be due to a poor understanding of the pathophysiology of plantar heel spurs and/or plantar fasciitis by health professionals. The answer to the question is probably often "Both". But when clinicians

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