Description
Your "plantar fasciitis” *might* not actually be plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis technically means inflammation of the plantar fascia…but if it truly always from inflammation that rest and ice strategy should always help.
However, when researchers actually looked at biopsies of people with these chronic symptoms. They saw degradation, not inflammation. (Lemont et al. 2013)
This is why we call it more plantar fasciosis or plantar fasciopathy.
This shift in wording matters, because instead of taking ice and rest approach as you would for inflammation, perhaps you should incorporate more active strategies that load the area to build resilience within it.
*Some caveats about the interpreting the research from Lemont et al. 2013* It is important to note that this looked at people with persistent/chronic plantar fascia pain. This does not mean there is no inflammation does not exist with people with pain in the plantar fascia, but rather, inflammation is not always present with people who present with these symptoms.)
*Some caveats about interpreting research from Rathleff et al. 2015* If you look at outcomes from comparing strength vs stretching group, you will notice significant improvements in the strength group around the 3 month mark. However, if you look at the 6 month mark+, the outcomes seem to be similar. One way to look at this is that incorporating exercises that load the fascia may bring outcomes sooner compared to some other approaches, but it does not necessarily mean it is the only approach that works.
This is for educational purposes and should not replace medical advice. If you are dealing with persistent running related injuries, I recommend seeing a healthcare professional.
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#runningrehab #plantarfascia #runninginjury #footpain