Plantar Fasciitis in Athletes

Abstract

Plantar fasciitis is a common sports injury that typically presents as heel pain. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on plantar fasciitis, with emphasis on etiologic factors and current conservative management. A combination of anatomical and biomechanicai factors, repetitive forces, and training errors can predispose an athlete to plantar fasciitis. Most people with plantar fasciitis improve with conservative treatment. Treatment should initially be aimed at decreasing pain and inflammation through rest, modification of activity, medication, orthotics, and physical therapy. Identification of predisposing factors for each athlete is necessary to effectively treat the athlete and return him or her to sports activity. Although many treatment options are suggested in the literature, few have been studied for use with plantar fasciitis. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of conservative methods to manage plantar fasciitis.