03/15/2021
I. understand plantar fascia and its function
Plantar pain, also known as heel pain, is known as plantar fasciitis, which is one of the common injuries among runners and causes a lot of trouble for some runners. It is located in the soft tissue of the sole of the foot, and it begins at the heel of the heel of the calcaneus and ends forward at the toe. Since there are five toes, the plantar fascia branches forward into five bundles. The plantar fascia's main function is to cushion the foot, while also helping to maintain the arch of the foot.
During running, the toes, especially the big toes, are also pushed back, giving the foot another push when it's off the ground. Dorsiflexion of the toe creates tension at the distal end of the plantar fascia, and the hard plantar fascia passively pulls on the calcaneus, creating a "capstan effect" that causes the arch to rise and shorten.
Plantar fasciitis is not inflammation, but strain
Alleged inflammation, have the expression such as red, swollen, hot, painful commonly, but plantar fasciitis besides ache, often do not have the expression of swelling, redness, calorific. So in recent years, the mainstream view is that plantar fasciitis is not really inflammation, but due to repeated minor injuries, excessive tension caused by plantar fascia strain and degradation. In addition, plantar fascia is not a muscle, and it is inelastic, which can only extend by about 4%. When plantar fascia is subjected to a large force, such as the continuous high intensity traction brought by running, it will inevitably lead to structural damage.
The typical manifestation of plantar fasciitis
Suffering from plantar fasciitis will feel plantar pain, the specific characteristics of pain include the following aspects.
The most typical symptom: wake up in the morning after getting out of bed, foot landing, heel pain is the most obvious, walking for a while after the pain will be relieved.
Typical symptoms: a period of rest, such as after watching a movie, sitting for a long time, or a dull pain in the first few steps of standing up and walking after a period of not carrying heavy weight.
The pain is on the medial side of the heel, which is where the plantar fascia starts from the heel, and occasionally patients report pain in the middle of the foot.
After full activity, such as walking or running, the pain in the heel lessens, but after a long run, the pain may return or even be forced to stop.
Plantar fasciitis is more common in women.
Four, how to check whether they have plantar fasciitis
The pain of pressing specific parts of the heel and the pain of getting out of bed in the morning are the important basis for judging plantar fasciitis. In addition, runners can diagnose themselves with a test called the "winch test." Using the sitting position, hold the big toe and push the big toe out. If it causes pain, it can indicate plantar fasciitis.
Some runners came to the hospital for a checkup and showed calcaneal bone spurs (calcaneal osteophytes in the technical term) on the film, suggesting that bone spurs grew on the soles of the feet and caused pain. Actually, the bone spur is not the main cause of the pain, the bone spur stimulates the plantar fascia is the main cause of the pain, plantar fasciitis cured, natural pain disappeared, so don't worry too much about heel bone spur.
