Plantar Fasciitis Differential Diagnoses

Updated: Mar 23, 2023
  • Author: Craig C Young, MD; Chief Editor: Craig C Young, MD  more...
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DDx

Diagnostic Considerations

In addition to the conditions listed in the differential diagnosis, other problems to be considered include the following:

  • Bone bruise

  • Calcaneal epiphysitis (Sever disease)

  • Calcaneal neuritis

  • Calcaneal stress fracture

  • Calcaneus bone injuries

  • Entrapment syndromes (eg, medial calcaneal branch of the posterior tibial nerve entrapment, abductor digiti quinti nerve entrapment, tarsal tunnel syndrome)

  • Fat pad syndrome (atrophy, heel bruise)

  • Infection

  • Inflammatory arthropathies

  • Neuropathic pain

  • Osteomalacia

  • Paget disease

  • Plantar fascia rupture

  • S1 radiculopathy

  • Sickle cell disease

  • Space-occupying lesions

  • Spondyloarthropathy (ie, Reiter syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis)

  • Tendinitis (eg, of the flexor hallucis longus, flexor hallucis brevis, peroneus longus, or tibialis posterior)

  • Tumor

  • Unicameral bone cyst

Differential Diagnoses