What department should I go to for plantar fasciitis?

Written by Lv Yao
Orthopedics
Updated on September 19, 2024
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Plantar fasciitis refers to the aseptic inflammatory reaction of the plantar fascia caused by prolonged exercise or activity, which results in pain and restricted movement. If plantar fasciitis occurs, it is recommended to seek treatment in the orthopedics department of a formal hospital. Based on the symptoms, an appropriate treatment method should be chosen. Initially, it is important to rest and avoid excessive activities. Additionally, the application of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can help relieve symptoms and reduce inflammation, facilitating the restoration of walking and functional abilities.

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Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
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Which department should I register for plantar fasciitis?

To register for plantar fasciitis at a hospital, you need to visit two departments. The first is the orthopedics department, where the primary goal is to determine the cause of your plantar fasciitis. Firstly, it is necessary to check for the presence of heel spurs by taking an X-ray of the foot. Secondly, an MRI of the foot may be required to ascertain whether there is significant congestion and edema in your plantar fascia. As for treatment, you can seek help from the pain management department. The pain management department can provide local physical therapy and local blockade treatment to alleviate your pain. If this pain does not improve or worsens after more than six months of conservative treatment, severely affecting your daily life, you might need to return to the orthopedics department for surgical treatment. The surgery involves loosening the plantar fascia to help relieve the pain.

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Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
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Plantar fasciitis etiology

The most common cause of plantar fasciitis is excessive weight-bearing walking, which leads to a type of nonspecific chronic aseptic inflammation of the plantar fascia, resulting in pain on the medial side of the foot when weight-bearing. This is the most common reason. The second cause is degeneration, which is most commonly seen in middle-aged and elderly female patients. The degeneration of the fascia can cause pain and may also be accompanied by heel spurs. Currently, there are two main treatments for plantar fasciitis. The first is conservative treatment, which includes rest, acupuncture, and local injection therapy to relieve pain. If conservative treatment does not work after more than six months or the condition gradually worsens, then surgical treatment becomes necessary. Surgical treatment can remove local inflammatory tissue and release the plantar fascia to achieve the purpose of relieving pain.

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Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
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Plantar fasciitis symptoms

The main symptom of plantar fasciitis is pain on the inner side of the foot when bearing weight and walking, which severely affects weight-bearing walking. Over time, this pain during weight-bearing walking can turn into what is known as rest pain, which is pain in the foot even when it is not bearing weight. The treatment of plantar fasciitis is currently divided into two parts in clinical practice. The first part is conservative treatment, which mainly involves massage, acupuncture, electrotherapy, magnet therapy, and occlusive methods to relieve the symptoms of foot pain when bearing weight. If this conservative treatment is ineffective and the pain worsens, severely affecting weight-bearing walking, surgical treatment may be necessary. The goals of surgical treatment are, firstly, to release the plantar fascia, and secondly, to remove heel spurs, as a significant number of patients with plantar fasciitis also have heel spurs. Thus, the aim of surgery is to release the plantar fascia and remove the heel spur to alleviate the pain during weight-bearing walking.

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Written by Zhang Shu Kun
Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Where to apply moxibustion for plantar fasciitis?

In cases of plantar fasciitis, moxibustion on acupuncture points such as Zu San Li and Qu Chi can effectively alleviate pain. However, relying solely on moxibustion for treatment is not very effective; it only serves as a supplementary role. For treating fasciitis, it is crucial to rest adequately and avoid excessive fatigue. Shockwave therapy can be utilized for treatment and requires a prolonged, gradual approach to condition management. Daily warm water foot soaks can also help mitigate symptoms and accelerate healing.

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Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
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Causes of Plantar Fasciitis

Regarding the causes of plantar fasciitis, the most common cause observed clinically is prolonged and excessive weight-bearing walking. Local excessive stimulation, exposure to cold, or trauma can also trigger plantar fasciitis. The main symptom of plantar fasciitis is pain in the sole of the foot. The methods to manage it include reducing local stimuli. For a period of time in the near future, try to avoid weight-bearing walking as much as possible, persist in using topical Chinese herbal medicines that invigorate the blood and dispel stasis which are boiled and then used for fumigation washing daily. Oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and pain relief medications, and blood-activating stasis-dispelling medications should be taken for treatment. Topical plasters that invigorate the blood and dispel stasis can also be used locally. Gradually, recovery will be achieved.