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

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

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