Presentation
Injury to the foot of a 100 m dash athlete. He suddenly felt a "pop" on his plantar aspect of his foot, and severe pain following it, during take-off from the starting block in the initial phase of acceleration, with increased pain during dorsiflexion.
Patient Data
Full thickness tear of the proximal plantar fascia, approximately 3 cm from the calcaneal insertion, with localized edema at the location of the medial fascia, without signs of plantar fasciitis.
Case Discussion
The plantar fascia is a broad and thick fibrous aponeurosis/fascia that helps to support the arch of the foot, comprised of three distinct heads:
A thick central component, which attaches to the medial tubercle of the calcaneus. This portion is the most likely to be involved in plantar fasciitis.
A thinner medial component.
A thinner lateral component.
Acute tears are secondary to forced plantar flexion of the foot in competitive athletes and always occur distal to the calcaneal insertion of the plantar fascia.
Plantar fascial tear is commonly preceded by plantar fasciitis with thickening up to 10 mm, or enlargement and nodular thickening of the plantar aponeurosis (fusiform appearance of the fascia). The plantar fascia can also traumatically tear or rupture. This can occur when jumping or falling from a height or during activities like running or basketball.
Radiographer: TSRM Fabio Imola
Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.