Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition in which the plantar fascia tendon in the arch of the foot becomes tender, inflamed or damaged due to overuse. The plantar fascia is a thick band tendon that is connected under the heel or calcaneus bone and extends to beneath the front of the foot. Symptoms of plantar fasciitis include pain under the heel and in some cases along the arch of the foot. Pain may also be felt when pressing on the inside heel and the arch. The Sports Injury Clinic recommends taping the bottom of the foot to improve plantar fasciitis, as anti-inflammatory medications alone will not allow the foot to heal in a reasonable amount of time.
Width Taping
Good taping techniques for plantar fasciitis help the affected foot get the rest and support necessary to recover by preventing over-stretching of the plantar fascia. A taping technique for minor cases of plantar fasciitis is width taping, in which orthopedic or sports tape is applied in strips across the width of the bottom of the foot. This provides support for the tendon from the heel to the ball of the foot.
Diagonal Taping
Another taping technique for plantar fasciitis applies support in the diagonal and horizontal areas of the foot. Zinc oxide tape or other types of orthopedic tape is applied down the side of the foot from the small toe to the heel. Then the tape is wound around the heel and back to the small toe by going diagonally across the
sole of the foot. Next a piece of tape is wrapped in the same fashion from the big toe to the ankle and back. These pieces of tape are overlapped with second pieces for additional support, followed by several pieces of tape applied width-wise from the heel to about 2 to 3 inches from the ends of the toes.
Arch Support Taping
The National Institute of Sports Medicine and Therapy recommends a taping technique that places an anchor strip of tape from the small toe down the
side of foot, around the heel and up the other side of the foot to the big toe. Additional pieces of tape are then used to make a cross shaped pattern on the foot as in the above taping method. This is followed by strips that go across the width of the sole of the foot. North Coast FootCare also recommends a night splint to stretch out the plantar fascia while resting or sleeping. A splint that is worn over the foot helps to pull the toe slightly up towards the shin stretching the arch of the foot. A temporary foot splint can also be formed with tape that extends from around the toes to stretch the foot up towards the ankles.
