Best Practice Case Studies-Foot

Pdf Summary

The case study presents a 40-year-old female nurse experiencing right heel pain suggestive of plantar fasciitis, an overuse injury likely caused by increased running volume and intensity. Her BMI has improved notably, dropping from 34 to 29 kg/m², and her type 2 diabetes is well-controlled following lifestyle changes. Despite her progress, she's distressed due to the heel pain hindering her running routine, crucial for her ongoing health improvement.<br /><br />For the first question regarding her course of action, the recommended strategy is to take a temporary break from running and engage in cross-training activities like cycling or swimming. This helps to alleviate the overload on the tissue, allowing for healing while still maintaining physical fitness. The options of conducting an x-ray for bone spurs, performing a corticosteroid injection, or providing custom orthotics are not favored, as heel spurs aren't typically involved in plantar fasciitis treatment and injections or orthotics could delay effective healing.<br /><br />The second question discusses a similar condition where a 37-year-old runner also experiences pain at the medial calcaneal tubercle, worsened with morning ambulation, indicative of plantar fasciopathy. Here, foot orthoses are indicated to offer significant benefit, supported by consistent and good-quality evidence. Unlike custom orthoses, commercially available products are suggested as equivalently effective. Calcaneal bone spurs aren't usually associated with the condition, nor do they aid in diagnosis, and steroid injections are noted to reduce pain only briefly, around a month.<br /><br />Both scenarios emphasize efforts to adapt exercise routines and use practical, evidence-based treatments to manage and alleviate plantar fasciitis symptoms while supporting continued health and fitness improvements.

Meta Tag

Edition 3rd Edition

Related Case 3rd Edition, CASE 17

Topic Foot

Keywords

plantar fasciitis

heel pain

cross-training

3rd Edition

BMI improvement

type 2 diabetes

running routine

foot orthoses

evidence-based treatment

overuse injury

health improvement

3rd Edition, CASE 17

Foot