Plantar fasciitis and ruptures of the plantar aponeurosis are diseases of the sole of the athlete's foot, which can appear in sports that involve pushing or jumping, such as athletics, gymnastics and dance.
For further information: Plantar Fasciitis: Causes, Symptoms and Remedies or standing for too long, especially on hard surfaces.The initial rest usually helps relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
It is very important to stop training at the first symptoms of plantar fasciitis: ignoring the pain by continuing to train or avoiding pain with specific drugs favors the chronicization of the disease, complicating its prognosis.
If the pain is particularly intense and accentuated by the load, it is advisable to use crutches to completely relieve the stresses of the sore foot.
Ice
The application of ice is effective when the first painful pangs arise, both to alleviate the pain and for the local anti-inflammatory action it carries out.
Stretching
The stretching helps to stretch the tissues surrounding the heel, favoring less tissue stress; consequently, the lower tension stress leads to recovery from plantar fasciitis.
Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
Particularly useful for decreasing local inflammation, NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) can be administered either generally or topically, always under medical supervision and prescription.
Insoles and Heels
Insoles and heels are very effective in correcting static and dynamic foot dysfunctions and definitively resolving plantar fasciitis.
These insoles allow the athlete to continue their sporting activity, both in the rehabilitation phase and in the posthumous phase, to avoid relapses.
Night Tutors
The braces help to keep the fibrous tissues that form the plantar vault stretched during the night, effectively counteracting one of the most annoying symptoms of plantar fasciitis: that much hated pain upon waking caused by the nocturnal contraction of the aponeurosis.
Did you know that ...
Also the massage of the arch and heel before getting out of bed and after doing it stretching can help reduce pain.
Check Footwear
The advice is valid both for shoes worn during the day and for those normally used during sporting activities.
They must not cause an increase in the load on the plantar aponeurosis, ie check above all that the latter are neither too rigid nor too soft.
It is advisable to seek advice from a specialist who, based on the "wear" presented by the shoe itself, will be able to identify any "excessive pronation".
Work out
Decrease the training load and temporarily avoid running, which can be temporarily replaced with cycling and / or swimming.
Apply Kinesiological Taping®
With specific trajectories, in the rehabilitation-rest phase, kinesiologico® Taping promotes relaxation of the plantar aponeurosis; in the moments of return to physical activity, on the other hand, it helps to support the aponeurotic structure under load.
Physical Therapies
Some physical therapies have been shown to be effective in treating plantar fasciitis:
- Ultrasound;
- Iontophoresis;
- Laser;
- Tecar therapy;
- Shock waves (lithotripter).
Just the shock waves increase the speed of ligament regeneration, causing real microtraumas inside the plantar aponeurosis.
Despite the apparent contradiction, shock waves increase local capillarization and cellular metabolism, favoring the spontaneous repair process of the ligament tissue.
Plantar Fasciitis: Recovery Times and Consequences of Late Treatment
Following this protocol, most patients find relief within 4 to 8 weeks (sometimes it may take longer, up to 6 months to 1 year).
The more promptly the rehabilitation treatment is started and the more precociously there will be a reduction in painful symptoms.
On the contrary, if the necessary measures are not implemented, plantar fasciitis, in addition to becoming chronic, will tend to modify the plantar support of the subject, causing in the long run functional overloads also at the level of the knees, pelvis and back.
Plantar Fasciitis and Cortisone Infiltrations: When Are They Needed?
If the painful condition persists for several months, despite the implementation of this rehabilitation protocol, the specialist doctor may decide to perform local cortisone infiltrations to help reduce inflammation.
Plantar Fasciitis: When Is Surgery Needed?
If all the treatments indicated above prove to be ineffective, the doctor may decide to resort to surgical distension intervention.
Like all surgical operations, however, this type of surgery is not without risks, therefore it should only be performed if the fasciitis does not show signs of improving after prolonged aggressive treatment (8-12 months).
The recourse to surgery, which can be carried out in endoscopy or with traditional surgical techniques, should only be performed after a careful evaluation by the specialist.
If the intervention is successful, the resumption of sporting activities generally takes place after two or three months of recovery, always respecting the gradual increase in the training load and taking as rules some precautions to avoid relapses, which are always lurking.
, which give rise to "retractions", using specific techniques.
The innovative kinesiological taping technique is based on the body's natural healing abilities, stimulated by the "activation of the" neuro-muscular "and" neuro-sensorial "system, according to the new concepts of neuroscience.
The method stems from the science of kinesiology. It is a mechanical and / or sensory corrective technique, which promotes better blood and lymphatic circulation in the area to be treated.
In the rehabilitation phase, Neurotaping is applied to improve blood and lymphatic circulation, to reduce excess heat and chemicals present in the tissues, and to mitigate inflammation with synergistic action with conventional therapies.
Furthermore, Kinesiology® Taping aims to:
- Activate the analgesic-endogenous systems;
- Stimulate the spinal inhibitory system and the descending inhibitory system;
- Correct joint problems;
- Reduce inaccurate alignments caused by spasms and shortened muscles;
- Normalize muscle tone and fascia abnormality in the joints;
- Improve the ROM.
Finally, Kinesiological Taping® is used as a complement in osteopathy, chiropractic, manual therapies and physical therapies.
Kinesiologico® Taping: When To Use It?
"Kinesiological Taping® must be seen as an adjunct therapy, which helps in the rehabilitation process and not as an elective therapy, regardless of whether the diagnosis must be corrected." *
The initial observation phase of the patient is very important for the success of the bandage with the kinesiologico® Taping method, always respecting the principle of globality.
This method is based on the application of an elastic tape that stimulates the natural healing process, assisting the body in activating the physiological processes of the traumatized tissues, restoring it to a state of health.
All organisms have an innate (genetically determined) capacity for self-regulation which allows the achievement of a homeostatic balance and the possibility of self-healing.
In response to external aggression, the body begins a "repair-remodeling" process through the inflammatory response.
* Taken from the book: R. Bellia - F. Selva Sarzo - "Kinesiological taping in sports traumatology - practical application manual" ed. Alea Milano - 2011.
keep in mind that these substances can promote tendonitis;In addition, it causes pain in the lateral-lateral pressure of the forefoot, so much so that it is impossible to put on shoes.
The cause is the increase in volume of an interdigital sensory nerve, usually the one passing through the third intermetatarsal space, caused by a chronic irritative stimulus of a mechanical nature, which causes the growth of fibrous scar tissue around the nerve itself, just before its bifurcation at the root of the fingers.
Did you know that ...
The correct term for the scar tissue growth process described above is "perineural fibrosis" (the formation of fibrous scar tissue caused by continuous friction on the nerve of the adjacent metatarsal bones).
Sever's disease
Sever's disease is characteristic of sports children (10 - 13 years), with involvement of the secondary ossification nucleus of the calcaneus.
This benign osteochondritis is due to sports hyperactivity, with overstressing of the suro-achilleocalcaneo-plantar system during running or jumping.
The main sign is pain evoked by pressure on the back and bottom of the heel, but without pain in the Achilles tendon. Predisposing signs:
- Short Achilles tendon;
- Static disorder of the hindfoot: calcaneal valgus type.
By Professor Rosario Bellia - Professor of Kinesiological Taping® at the State University of Valencia (Spain) - Physiotherapist of the Italian national team of the F.I.H.P.
