Assessment of Plantar Heel Pain

Course overview

This Practical guides you through a structured assessment of plantar heel pain, covering both subjective and objective evaluation. You'll learn to assess pain onset, location, behaviour, and contributing factors such as medical history, activity load, and psychosocial influences. The Practicals covers observation, palpation, functional pain provocation, special tests, and neural assessments. You'll also practice differential diagnosis, distinguishing plantar heel pain from conditions like calcaneal stress injury, heel fat pad syndrome, plantar fascia rupture, Baxter's neuropathy, and other systemic causes. Throughout, emphasis is placed on identifying patient beliefs, functional goals, and individual factors relevant to guiding future management.