Ok my friend has just been told he has plantar facitis. but though im no expert,!

Ok my friend has just been told he has plantar facitis. but though im no expert, the pain went up his leg.....

now i work in 2 gyms and am aware of the usual symptoms, but never before have i ever seen on research or heard from pain going up the leg.. sounds more structual to me even though he wears trainers that probably dont support his foot properly, i dont agree with what the doctor has told him, either because since doing this job i have learnt doctors sometimes have other things to do, or because i need to know more about it! .please help! x

1 month ago
thankyou for your comments! i know about the heels spurs n stuff! but it went right up the inside of his leg....this is what is confusing me!! not the outside and although the rest of his symptoms are typical, this one is not. he has to walk alot but im worried that the doctors have over looked something, he has had this since sunday!

Subcalcaneal pain syndrome in athletes is thought to be brought on by an overload of the plantar fascia.However, the mechanism of this overload is debated.Overload causes micro-tears at the fascia-bone interface of the calcaneus or within the substance of the plantar fascia alone.The central band of the plantar fascia is primarily affected where a hypercellular, inflammatory response occurs within the fibers of the fascia, leading to degenerative changes.

A spur may result from further inflammation but is not implicated as the primary source of heel pain.Many studies have shown the presence of spurs on the heels of asymptomatic patients.One study found that only 10% of all calcaneal spurs visible on x-ray were actually symptomatic.

Other authors have attributed "painful heel syndrome" to an entrapment of either the medial calcaneal nerve or the first branch of the lateral plantar nerve.However, the mechanism of entrapment proposed by these authors is still related to overload of the soft tissue and fascial structures on the plantar and medial aspect of the calcaneus.

Although heel pain is common, there is no commonality of opinion of the biomechanical etiology of this syndrome.Contributing factors reported in the literature include leg length inequality, pronation of the subtalar joint, restricted ankle joint dorsiflexion, weakness of plantar flexion, high arched feet, low arched feet and heel strike shock.Studies have shown that decreased arch height has shown no correlation to the development of plantar fascitis in runners.In fact, it is well accepted that the common athlete presenting with heel pain has a medium to high-arched foot.

Scherer and coworkers have given the best insight into the pathomechanics of plantar fascitis.Their study proposed that supination around the longitudinal axis of the midtarsal joint is a common feature in over 100 feet presenting with heel pain.Supination about the longitudinal axis of the midtarsal joint can occur in two primary situations:when the heel everts past perpendicular (heel valgus) or when a forefoot valgus deformity is present (sometimes accompanied by rearfoot varus).