A common foot complaint is pain in the bottom of the heel. This is often referred to as heel spurs or plantar fasciitis. Patient Provider

Conclusions Autologous blood injection appears to be a viable alternative to steroid injection therapy. It appears to be safe and no reports of reflex sympathetic dystrophy, infection or other major complications have been reported thus far. More recent studies have suggested that steroid treatment and fascial peppering with local anesthetic and fascial dissection may have similar results to autologous blood injection therapy. Further study will likely be considered in the future.

J Nucl Med 2006; 47:1577–1580
Conclusion: Critical evaluation of plantar blood-pool images provides prognostic information on the response to localized injection into the enthesis. Reporting such studies is simple and reproducible.

News item: Nov 1, 2005 Berlin, Germany - A single injection of botulinum A toxin appears to decrease chronic plantar fasciitis pain, with the improvement lasting at least a year [1]. The findings come from a pilot study in nine patients reported in the November 2005 issue of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, and the authors are now planning a larger, placebo-controlled trial.

Plantar fasciitis is the commonest cause of heel pain. We see about 50 new patients per year in a population of 260,000 or 193/million/year. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg as many people probably never consult a practitioner about this condition, or are treated by a GP, podiatrist, rheumatologist or sports medicine practitioner.

Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics
disorder of unknown etiology characterised by local proliferation of abnormal fibrous tissue in the plantar fascia
- this tissue is locally aggressive and progressively replaces the normal plantar aponeurosis
- this leads to often painful thickened fascia with nodules from 0,5-3 cm in diameter
- may also infiltrate the dermis or very rarely the flexor tendon sheath (flexion contracture of 2nd toe)
- age range from childhood until 6th decade, more common in men than in women
- 25 % of patients have bilateral involvement
- in older people sometimes associated to other fibromatoses like Dupuytren's in the hand or La Peyronie's disease, a fibrous infiltration of the corpora cavernosa
- increased incidence in patients with:
- diabetes mellitus
- seizure disorders

Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics
Surgical anatomy, considerations and technique of release for plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis AAOS Patient Information Highly Reputable

Plantar Fasciitis SCOI Patient information Expert

Website selling Podiatry Products offers patient information on this subject. Useful definitions and an account of different treatment modalities. Commercial

Plantar Fasciitis is a condition that is sometimes called a heel spur. This condition causes pain on the bottom of the heel when putting weight on the foot. There are probably many underlying causes of heel pain, and some physicians feel that it is probably more accurate to simply make a diagnosis of heel pain rather than try and define an absolute cause in every instance of heel pain. Highly Reputable

A common foot complaint is pain in the bottom of the heel. This is often referred to as heel spurs or plantar fasciitis. It commonly is painful the first few steps in the morning or after rest.

Author: Shepard R Hurwitz, MD
Synonyms and related keywords: heel pain, plantar heel pain, inflamed fascia, foot deformity
Background: Plantar heel pain is a common problem in adults. The most common cause of heel pain is inflammation to the dense tissue extending from the calcaneus to the metatarsal region, thus the descriptive term plantar fasciitis. Though not all cases of plantar heel pain are due to plantar fasciitis, an inflamed or damaged fascia may contribute to painful conditions caused by nerve injury or soft-tissue inflammation in local muscle and the fat pad. With the Internet and an increasing public awareness of plantar fasciitis comes greater demand for treatment when time and home remedies do not alleviate pain. The nature of upright human activity is repetitive tensile and compressive stress of the fascia that has a cumulative ability to damage or transform the tissue. Longer lifespans and greater recreational expectations of working adults also are contributing to the volume of patients seeking attention for plantar fasciitis.

one of several causes of heel pain;
- the pain is located somewhat more distally than in other causes of heel pain syndrome
- symptoms include gradual onset of pain at the origin of the plantar aponeurosis and 1 cm distal to this area
- no definitive evidence that plantar fasciitis is linked with abnormal foot posture (pes planus or pes cavus)

Plantar Fasciitis: A Common Cause of Heel Pain. The plantar fascia is a band of tissue, much like a tendon, on the bottom of your foot. It starts at your heel and goes along the bottom of your foot. It attaches to each one of the bones that form the ball of your foot. The plantar fascia works like a rubber band between the heel and the ball of your foot to form the arch of your foot. If the band is short, you'll have a high arch, and if it's long, you'll have a low arch, what some people call flatfeet. A pad of fat in your heel covers the plantar fascia to help absorb the shock of walking. Damage to the plantar fascia can be a cause of heel pain. Highly Reputable