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Treating Plantar Fasciitis by Surgery

By: Teddy Stevennson Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Plantar fasciitis happens when the plantar fascia is extended as a result of elevated or over activity, inadequate foot biomechanics or in association with the usual aging process. The function of the plantar fascia is to help absorb shock and support the arch of the foot. The plantar fascia is typically overstretched time and again before any pain is noticible. The pain results from repeated tiny tears occurring in the plantar fascia, generally at the point where it attaches to the heel itself.

Surgery is infrequently used to cure plantar fasciitis. Over 90% of patients enjoy a full recovery from plantar fasciitis symptoms within 12 months of the onset of non-invasive treatment. Only in the most extreme cases is surgery necessary. Surgery should be a last resort. Only patients who have completed a structured non-invasive therapy plan for over 9 months should consider surgery. What Is More, before consenting to a plantar fasciitis surgery, patients should fully comprehend both the potential hazards and gains of plantar fasciitis surgery.

Surgery for the treatment of plantar fasciitis isn't as as a surgeon would like. Contrast the case of knee replacement surgery, where its is common to see a 95% success rate. The success rate for surgery is much lower. Possible complications of surgery for plantar fasciitis include:

Excessive loosening of the plantar fascia ligament. The goal in plantar fasciitis surgery is to release about 30-50% of the ligament. Release of more of the plantar fascia than this optimal amount during surgery can lead to a flat foot and the foot arch being lowered below optimal levels. Any resulting flat foot after surgery for plantar fasciitis it may result in chronic problems that are regarded as equally bad as the original pain.

Damage to the foot nerves. Tiny nerves travel along the length of the plantar fascia ligament from the heel to the front of the foot. During plantar fascia release surgery these nerves may be injured causing irritation or loss of sensation in areas of the foot.

Persistence of symptoms. Although a patient has the typical plantar fasciitis symptoms, heel pain may not always be due to plantar fasciitis. Consequently, even after completely successful surgery for plantar fasciitis, some people may still suffer from heel pain.

Infection. Infection is a real danger after any surgery. If the patient does develop an infection after surgery, antibiotics may be required. In addition, further surgery may be the only way to get rid of any infection.

Even with the possible negative consequences with plantar fasciitis surgery, roughly 75 per cent of people will enjoy successful surgery and relief from their symptoms.

Modern techniques allow surgery to be executed through minute slits in the foot using a small tv camera to find the plantar fascia and guide the surgical incision in a procedure named endoscopic plantar fascia release.

This operation is said by some surgeons to increase the chance of impairment to the vulnerable foot nerves. No certain answer as to whehter endoscopic plantar fascia release is better or worse than a traditional plantar fascia release, a majority of surgeons still prefer the traditional treatment.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Teddy Stevennson has more than 30 years experience of plantar fasciitis treatment. For a comprehensive review of plantar fasciitis treatments including plantar fasciitis night splints, shoes and exercises visit www.Plantar-FasciitisTreatment.com.