The relationship between plantar fasciitis and plantar heel pressure

Abstract

Objective: The presence of increased medial heel plantar pressure in plantar fasciitis has been debated, with clinicians often utilizing pressure-relieving devices, such as heel pads and cups, as a means of management. Method: Plantar pressures in a sample of 15 adult participants with chronic plantar fasciitis were compared to plantar pressures of the 15 adult participants forming the control group, who were matched for age, gender and weight. Results: There were no significant differences in peak heel plantar pressure (p = 0.244), lateral peakplantar pressure (p = 0.876), forefoot peak plantar pressure (p = 0.576) and the Forefoot to Rearfoot peak pressure ratio (p = 0.242) between the 2 groups. However, there was a significant difference (p = 0.015) in medial heel peak plantar pressure between the 2 groups, with the plantar fasciitis group having lower medial heel pressure than the control group. Conclusion: The findings in this study suggest that there is no relationship between peak medial heel plantar pressures and chronic medio-plantar heel pain in plantar fascitis. There is also no shift in pressure from the symptomatic medio-plantar heel region to the latero-plantar heel and forefoot regions. As a result, pressure may not play a part in the pathophysiology of plantar fascitis.