Will PT Help my Plantar Fasciitis?

INTRO:
1 in 10 people in the United States experience persistent pain along the bottom of the foot. A condition commonly diagnosed as plantar fasciitis. In the US, outpatient clinics receive more than 1 million visits a year from people seeking help for this type of foot pain. In 2014, the Orthopaedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association published updated clinical practice guidelines on the best treatments for patients with plantar fasciitis. The guidelines present evidence that strongly suggests a combination of manual therapy and rehabilitative exercises to help patients with this foot condition.

RESULTS:
The researchers studied a database of 819,963 patients diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. Only 7.1% of these patients were prescribed physical therapy.

Overall, patients sent to physical therapy received:

Manual therapy 87% of the time.
Supervised rehabilitative exercises 90% of the time.

The researchers found that patients who received manual therapy as part of their treatment averaged fewer visits and had a lower cost of care of $340.

PRACTICAL ADVICE:
This study shows that despite strong evidence on the benefits of physical therapy for plantar fasciitis, very few patients were given this treatment. If you have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, physical therapy offers evidence-based treatment options to help you recover from your pain.

COMMON EXERCISES GIVEN:

Calf Stretches
Foot Stretches
Toe Stretches

Play your big toe under a towel, pad, or @fasciafigher and lean your weight over until you feel a stretch in the bottom of your foot. Hold repeat 30x

Ankle Mobilization:

SOURCE:
J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2017;47(2):56. doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.0501

WANT MORE RESEARCH? Check out @physicaltherapyresearch on Instagram!

SOURCE:
Pol et al. 2021. Structural and functional foot and ankle characteristics associated with falls in older people. Gait & Posture. (88), pp. 78-83.

Dalton Urrutia, MSc PT

Dalton is a Physical Therapist from Oregon, currently living and running the performance physiotherapy clinic he founded in London for Grapplers and Strength & Conditioning athletes. Dalton runs the popular instagram account @physicaltherapyresearch, where he posts easy summaries of current and relevant research on health, fitness, and rehab topics.

Want to learn more or contact him?

Reach out online:

@physicaltherapyresearch

@Grapplersperformance

www.grapplersperformance.com

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