Russell B, Olson S, Hanten W; Eastern Washington University, Spokane, WA and Texas Woman’s University, Houston, TX. byron.russell@mail.ewu.edu.

PURPOSE: Plantar fasciitis is a common foot problem seen by health care providers. Many factors have been attributed to causing plantar fasciitis including pes planus, obesity and biomechanical deficits. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the physical characteristics of patients referred to physical therapy with a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis. DESCRIPTION: Forty-two subjects (23 males, 19 females) between the ages of 19 to 50 years were evaluated by 3 physical therapists. The mean age for the group was 34.2 ± 8.2 years. The mean age for the male subjects was 31.8 ± 7.8 years while that of the females was 37.7 ± 7.5 years. Subjects reported their length of symptoms in months with 4 males reporting symptoms > 12 months and 9 females reporting symptoms > 12 months. 19 males reported symptoms £ 12 months (mean 4.5 ± 3.7 mos) while 10 females reported symptoms £ 12 months (mean 3.5 ± 2.7 mos). Symptoms were reported as constant or intermittent. 6 males reported constant symptoms while 17 reported intermittent symptoms. 11 females reported constant symptoms while 8 reported intermittent symptoms. Overall, 43% of the subjects reported constant symptoms while 57% reported intermittent symptoms. 24% of the total subjects reported a history of low back pain. 71% of the subjects had received treatment consisting of NSAIDs. Biomechanical analysis demosntrated 26% with abnormal gait, 40% with abnormal lower extremity alignment. Range of motion was WNL for all except 1 and all had normal strength (5/5). 21% demonstrated some laxity at the ankle joint. The male subjects demonstrated a navicular drop test of 0.78 ± 0.55 cm while the female subjects demonstrated 0.59 ± 0.44 cm. Left and right foot involvement was 52% and 48% respectively. SUMMARY: Patients referred with a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis present with a diversity of physical characteristics. Altered biomechanics has been shown to be a major contributor to the process of plantar fasciitis. Therefore, a thorough biomechanical analysis of the lower extremity is necessary to properly focus treatment on each patient. RELEVANCE: There appears to be no single predictor for predisposition to plantar fasciitis. Only through thorough and accurate evaluation can appropriate treatment be rendered. FUNDING SOURCE: Texas Physical Therapy Education and Research Foundation.

Reprint Information
Requests for reprints should be directed to the corresponding author of the article. Students and other academic customers may receive permission to reprint copyrighted material from Physical Therapy by contacting the Copyright Clearance Center Inc, 222 Rosewood Dr, Danvers, MA 01923. Similar inquiries by all others should be made to the APTA Editorial Office, Attn: Physical Therapy.