heel pain - Physical Therapy Articles & Insights

Evidence Does Not Support Utilization Of Surgery Over Physical Therapy For Most Musculoskeletal Conditions

July 20, 2022

The vast majority of musculoskeletal conditions and diagnoses are not life threatening or time sensitive and allow for conservative treatments, including Physical Therapy, to be utilized prior to surgery. In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice we commonly see outcomes consistent with the current research on the utilization of Physical Therapy instead of surgery for common...

Foot and Ankle Injuries

No Differences Found Between Custom Or Over The Counter Insoles For Heel Pain

March 10, 2021

Plantar heel pain, including plantar fasciitis and plantar fasciosis, is associated with pain along the heel and arch of the foot worsened with prolonged standing, walking, or running. This diagnosis is also associated with intense pain first thing in the morning or upon standing after prolonged sitting. Researchers report athletes, active, as well as, sedentary...

Foot and Ankle Injuries

Foot Atrophy And Weakness Consistently Found Among Patients With Heel Pain

October 15, 2019

Plantar heel pain, including pain along the plantar fascia, is one the most common diagnoses in the foot. Individuals often experience pain with the first step in the morning or after prolonged sitting. Symptoms limit their ability to perform many standing, walking, and recreational activities. Researchers have found minimal inflammatory cells within the plantar fascia...

Foot and Ankle Injuries

Is There An Additive Effect of Ultrasound to Physical Therapy Care?

November 8, 2018

Few things remind me of how far we have come as a profession than ultrasound. Early in my career we utilized ultrasound and other modalities to help reduce a patients pain. Initially touted as a medium to deep tissue heating and healing, ultrasound has now fallen out of favor due to the lack of research...

heel pain

Dry Needling Improves Effectiveness of Physical Therapy Treatments for Heel Pain

November 5, 2018

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of plantar heel pain estimated to affect 10% of the general population through their lifetime. Proper nomenclature of the pathology is dependent on the tissue involved and how long the symptoms have been in existence. “Fasciitis” suggests an acute inflammatory response, where “fasciosis” illustrates a chronic degenerative response...

Foot and Ankle Injuries

Does Manual Therapy Improve Plantar Fasciitis?

April 13, 2018

Plantar fasciitis (fasciosis) is a painful diagnosis limiting a patient’s ability to stand, walk, or run. The -itis of the name is a misnomer because very few cases of plantar heel pain involve an inflammatory process. Instead, a breakdown of soft tissue fibers and cells is noted in the plantar fascia reflecting the sequential stages...

Foot and Ankle Injuries

Limitations of Orthotics for Heel Pain and Plantar Fasciitis

November 10, 2017

Plantar heel pain or plantar fasciitis is the most common diagnosis explaining pain originating from the bottom of the foot. Previously, orthotics have been thought to improve alignment of the foot and ankle but more recent research has shown the limitations of these interventions. In our previous blog posts, we have described the inability of...

Foot and Ankle Injuries

Importance of Manual Therapy in Treatment of Patients with Heel Pain and Plantar Fasciitis

July 20, 2017

Manual therapy or the passive movements of joints and tissues has been shown to be effective at reducing short term pain for a number of conditions including heel pain. Interventions including joint mobilization and manipulation are commonly provided to patients suffering from heel pain or plantar fasciitis (fasciosis) in order to restore normal mobility to...

Foot and Ankle Injuries

Treatments for Plantar Fasciitis

February 5, 2017

In our prior posts on heel pain and plantar fasciitis we described the growing evidence supporting the utilization of treatments by Physical Therapists including manual therapy and exercise. This treatment approach is supported by established clinical practice guidelines and is more effective than modalities including ultrasound and other passive interventions. Interestingly, despite the evidence only...

Foot and Ankle Injuries

Strengthening The Core Of The Foot For Plantar Fasciitis

September 8, 2016

In previous posts we have discussed the association between our intrinsic (core) foot strength and foot function during walking and running. The research has identified a link between weakness and atrophy of these muscles and the development of chronic conditions such as heel pain and plantar fasciitis (fasciosis). This atrophy is most pronounced in those...

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