The Plantar Fascia is a
thick layer of connective tissue that lines the bottom side of the
foot. It's primary role is to support the arch of the foot and
give the foot structure. To review our anatomy, the Plantar
Fascia originates on the base of the calcaneus (heel) and inserts on
the metatarsal heads. The origin point on the calcaneus is very
close to the insertion point of the Achilles Tendon. Thus, the
two tissues are very depending upon each other.
The Plantar Fascia gets blamed for a lot of foot pain. Usually
this is with good reason. Much of the foot pain that is seen
clinically occuring on the plantar side of the foot (bottom) is due to
inflammation within the Fascia. This is almost always due to a
biomechanical issue somewhere else in the body.
By definition, Fascia is simply connective tissue. It is not a
ligament or a tendon, rather it has several origins and insertions and
attempts to hold tissue together and in place. It is not like
muscle, because it doesn't have the ability to shorten and does not
have the same blood flow and
neurological
innervation. Thus, it
can become painful and inflammed, but it can't really be
stretched
effectively.
The concept of
stretching
fasia as been around for a long time, but it
is easily discounted when you truly understand what you are trying to
do with
stretching
and
flexibility
training.
Flexibility
training
requires a very active neurological system which is only present in
muscle. Without the
neurological
system to overload and
desensitize, there will be no gains in
flexibility
or mobility.
So, attempting to stretch fascia is essentially a waste of time.
Effect of Dorsiflexion on
Plantar Fascia
Poor dorsiflexion, whether caused by a restricted ankle joint or poor
Gastroc/Soleus
flexibility
will place an extra stress on the Plantar
Fascia. This restricted movement will essentially force the
athlete to stay on their toes and keep the Plantar Fascia stressed
throughout the day. Increasing dorsiflexion allows an athlete to
do more with their heels on the floor, providing a much needed break
for the Plantar Fascia.
At the end of the day, Plantar Fascia pain and problems almost always
starts somehere else in the body. The solutions? Find the
problem area and fix it! This may be at the low back, hips,
knees, lower leg or foot. Understanding how each of these areas
work together and create the kinetic link to create movement is key to
understanding Plantar Fascia pain. An easy place to start that
offers a lot of bang for your buck is by increasing ankle dorsiflexion
to reduce tension and essentially pain.
To
learn more about increasing ankle dorsiflexion, click here...
