Our articles are not designed to replace medical advice. If you have an injury we recommend seeing a qualified health professional. To book an appointment with Tom Goom (AKA ‘The Running Physio’) visit our clinic page. We offer both in-person assessments and online consultations.
As a therapist, it’s easy to fall into the trap of leaning towards a common diagnosis. The patient might have asked ‘Dr Google’ and may feel they know what the issue is. One area where this seems to happen frequently in clinic is with Plantar Fasciitis (aka Plantar Fasciopathy or Plantar Heel Pain).
While Plantar Fasciitis is common it’s not the only cause of heel pain! It’s important we recognise differential diagnosis in this region as it can affect treatment and outcomes for patients.
In our video below I explore sites of symptoms for other causes of heel pain and discuss 3 case studies where a different diagnosis was missed and how this influence management.
This video caused a bit of a stir with nearly 9,000 views! We also had some comments on the symptom locations we discuss in the video which are based on a paper by Hossain and Makwana (2011).
They are approximate and may vary between patients but I wanted to share some alternative views too. Consultant Podiatric Surgeon, Mr Ian Reilly recorded this YouTube video in response to ours that’s well worth a watch!
We also had some good discussions on Twitter with @FootandAnkleMD and @DrJN_SportsMed about what could be added or changed and produced the image below.
