Plantar Fasciopathy (Plantar heel pain) can be a stubborn condition to treat, or you can learn to love treating it like Dr Michael Rathleff, incorporate the right loading program and activity modification and get some great results.

In episode 38 of the Physio Edge podcast, I talk to Dr Michael Rathleff, author of the RCT “High-load strength training improves outcome in patients with plantar fasciitis: A randomized controlled trial with 12-month follow-up: HL strength training and plantar fasciitis”.

We discuss:

• Common mistakes in the treatment of plantar fasciopathy (PF)
• How we can improve our treatment of PF
• Why call it plantar fasciopathy instead of plantar fasciitis?
• Research on PF
• Loading programs for PF
• Patient advice
• Activity modification
• Running load modification
• Short and long term results from loading the plantar fascia
• Considerations when treating PF
• Who is not suitable for a loading program
• Who respond the best to this program, and who responds the least
• How to modify the loading program
• Development of PF
• Running technique
• Treatment or strengthening of other areas
• Stretching
• Orthotics
• Cortisone
• Plantar fascia tears

Links of interest

• Subscribe to the Physio Edge podcast in iTunes
• Dr Michael Rathleff on ResearchGate
• Dr Michael Rathleff on Twitter
• “High-load strength training improves outcome in patients with plantar fasciitis: A randomized controlled trial with 12-month follow-up: HL strength training and plantar fasciitis”
• BJSM Blogpost by Michael Rathleff on Plantar Fasciopathy
• Clinical Edge Online Education
• Virtual conferences with Physio Edge and Clinical Edge
• Physioedge on Facebook
• David on Twitter