Heel Pain/Plantar Fasciitis

The plantar fascia is a strong fibrous band of connective tissue that maintains the arch of the foot. When walking or running as the heel hits the ground the plantar fascia develops tension becoming an effective lever for your toe to push off the ground and propel you forward.

The Plantar fascia is subjected to an enormous amount of stress and therefore susceptible to injury. Plantar Fasciitis presents with pain around the heel bone where the fascia inserts. A key feature of plantar heel pain is when you take your first step of the day. For example, stepping out of bed in the morning or walking after long periods of rest.

Plantar heel pain has previously been thought to have been caused by tension (over-stretching of the fascia). However, new research is pointing towards compression stress (when heel strike occurs).

Plantar heel fat pad protects underlying structures such as the heel bone, nerves, blood vessels and muscles. New research has found when this fatty heel pad has been compromised due to compression stresses, this may change the material properties of the fat pad so it reduces the effectiveness of shock absorption on heel strike, resulting in the fatty pad aggravating the area of the fascia that inserts into the heel bone.