How We Diagnose Plantar Fasciitis

To diagnose plantar fasciitis, your doctor will ask you some questions about your health history if you have any disease or history of injury, which may cause your symptoms.

Then your doctor will inspect your feet and ankle joints during standing and walking for any abnormality like flat foot, pes cavus (high arched foot), or tight Achilles tendon.

If your doctor thinks that you may have plantar fasciitis, he will make a physical examination for your feet. When the doctor do a physical exam, he will ask for the following questions. These questions can be to raise your toes toward your chin (toes extension), as he will ask you to flex your ankle while he resists you. If you feel some pain, then this may be a sign of plantar fasciitis.

Another physical examination will include applying pressure by the doctor thumb on foot to identify the points of pain in the plantar fascia (tenderness points)

If the physical exam doesn’t conclude that you are suffering from plantar fasciitis, then your doctor will suggest you do an X-ray or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for more investigations and to rule out any other condition or diseases like a stress fracture, neuropathies, osteoarthritis or bursitis.

In some cases, pain referred to the foot or ankle from the lower back may be due to lumbar disc, spinal stenosis, or any condition causing compression on nerve roots of lumbar or sacral spinal levels L5 or S1. In that case, your doctor needs to do that medical imaging tests to make a differential diagnosis.

Sometimes, Calcaneal bone of the heel of the affected foot can become calcified, this condition is called (heel spur). In such cases, the pain is not due to the heel spur itself but can be to the plantar fasciitis.

Author

Khader Adel

A highly motivated and experienced Physiotherapist with a passion for enhancing physical well-being in diverse settings, including humanitarian efforts with MSF NGO and the private sector. Committed to delivering quality therapy and constantly expanding my skill set, particularly in manual therapies. A seasoned team player with over a decade of experience in multidisciplinary environments, dedicated to successfully improving patients' lives.

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