Plantar Heel Pain Workup

  • Author: Vinod K Panchbhavi, MD, FRCS, FACS; Chief Editor: Jason H Calhoun, MD, FACS   more...
 
Updated: May 17, 2012
 

Laboratory Studies

  • Generally, plantar fasciitis is a clinical diagnosis; laboratory and imaging studies are rarely indicated. However, heel pain, especially bilaterally, can be a rare primary presenting sign of systemic inflammatory disorders. If a patient presents with bilateral heel pain in association with systemic symptoms, then screen the blood for inflammatory markers, such as the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27, rheumatoid factor (RF), and antinuclear antibodies (ANA).
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Imaging Studies

Heel spurs develops in the origin of the flexor digitorum brevis in approximately 50% of patients with proximal plantar fasciitis. The etiology is thought to be repetitive traction that leads to collagen degeneration, angiofibroblastic hyperplasia, and matrix calcification. Plain weight-bearing radiographs can show calcaneal spurs in approximately 50% of patients with plantar fasciitis, but, because spurs are frequently noted in patients without heel pain, the presence of calcaneal spurs is not considered contributory to the pain, and it does not affect the diagnosis or treatment.[13, 14]

However, a recent report by Johal and Milner suggests a significant association between plantar fasciitis and calcaneal spur formation. In their study, the lateral heel radiographs of 19 patients with a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis and 19 comparison subjects with a lateral ankle ligament sprain matched for age and sex, were reviewed independently by 2 observers. Objective measurements of calcaneal spur length and a subjective grading of spur size were recorded. There was a significantly higher prevalence of calcaneal spurs in the cases than the comparison group (89% vs 32%; McNemar chi-square=9.09, df=2, P = .00257). There was good interobserver and intraobserver agreement.[15]

Plain radiographs showing the lateral view of the calcaneus can be useful in detecting a stress fracture, which appears as a double-dense sclerotic line. However, 3-4 weeks may pass from the onset of symptoms until the injury is detectable on plain radiographs. Bony infections or tumors can also be detected on plain radiographs.

Ultrasonographic examination of the plantar heel can identify a thickened plantar fascia, but this investigation and the interpretation of the results depend on the expertise of the person performing the procedure.[7, 16]

MRI can be used to confirm a diagnosis, such as a stress fracture, especially in the early stages before it is detectable with plain radiographs. MRI is also used to investigate further for soft-tissue or bone lesions in the hindfoot. In persons with plantar fasciitis, this modality demonstrates edema and thickening of the plantar fascia, but MRI is not used to diagnose this condition. Any space-occupying lesions in the tarsal tunnel, which can cause a tarsal tunnel syndrome, is also revealed.[17]

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Vinod K Panchbhavi, MD, FRCS, FACS  Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Chief, Division of Foot and Ankle Surgery, Director, Foot and Ankle Fellowship Program, Department of Orthopedics, University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine

Vinod K Panchbhavi, MD, FRCS, FACS is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, Orthopaedic Trauma Association, Royal College of Surgeons of England, and Texas Orthopaedic Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Heidi M Stephens, MD, MBA  Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, University of South Florida College of Medicine; Courtesy Joint Associate Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of South Florida College of Public Health

Heidi M Stephens, MD, MBA is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Medical Association, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, and Florida Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

Shepard R Hurwitz, MD  Executive Director, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

Shepard R Hurwitz, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American College of Rheumatology, American College of Sports Medicine, American College of Surgeons, American Diabetes Association, American Orthopaedic Association, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, Eastern Orthopaedic Association, Orthopaedic Research Society, Orthopaedic Trauma Association, and Southern Orthopaedic Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Dinesh Patel, MD, FACS  Associate Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School; Chief of Arthroscopic Surgery, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital

Dinesh Patel, MD, FACS is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Jason H Calhoun, MD, FACS  Frank J Kloenne Chair in Orthopedic Surgery, Professor and Chair, Department of Orthopedics, The Ohio State University Medical Center

Jason H Calhoun, MD, FACS is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, American Diabetes Association, American Medical Association, American Orthopaedic Association, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, Missouri State Medical Association, Musculoskeletal Infection Society, Southern Medical Association, Southern Orthopaedic Association, Texas Medical Association, and Texas Orthopaedic Association

Disclosure: Stryker Consulting fee Consulting; Biocomposite Grant/research funds Other

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Soft heel cushion to absorb shock.
Soft heel cushion and a cup.
Custom-molded orthotic.
Stretching exercise. Lean against the wall with the knee kept straight and the heel touching the floor.
Stretching the back of the leg at the edge of a stair.
Massaging and stretching the plantar fascia using a can.
A night splint applied on back of the leg and foot.
A night splint applied on the front of the leg.
Lateral radiograph of the hindfoot showing a cyst in the anterior aspect of the calcaneus in a 19-year-old patient who presented with heel pain.
Plantar fascia tissue-specific stretching exercise
Edema localized to plantar heel on the left foot in a patient with calcaneal stress fracture compared to the normal right heel
 
 
 
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