Plantar Fasciitis Diagnosis and Treatment

Course overview

An estimated one million visits to medical professionals per year are attributed to the treatment of plantar fasciitis; the annual cost of the condition is presumed to be between $192 and $376 million dollars. (Nahin,2018) Although the condition is notoriously difficult to treat, most patients have a positive outcome (Tong &Furia 2010). Physical therapists are an important part of the treatment team for this issue. Traditionally, physical therapists primarily would use ultrasound, ice and stretching, but there are many more effective treatments available. The purpose of this course is to educate physical therapists about the most successful evaluation and treatment techniques available at this time. This course will cover the function of the plantar fascia, differential diagnosis of plantar fasciitis, special tests used, the most common risk factors to develop plantar fasciitis, a review of the most effective treatments and case studies to demonstrate practical application.