Can planar fascia be stretched?
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Posted by Ric on April 10, 1998 at 13:27:10:
I am seeing a podiatrist for severe arch pain in my foot, which he says is due to an inflammed planar fascia. He told me that I need to stretch, and I got a device (prostretch) to do so. But all of the stretches he tells me to do are basically stretching either my calf or my achilles tendon. My question is whether it is possible to stretch out the planar fascia. My podiatrist tells me the planar fascia is ligament, and not tendon. But I have had surgery on other parts of my body to tighten up ligaments that have become very long as a result of sudden falls. So if the planar fascia is a ligament, is it possible that a quick overextension of some sort would stretch it way out, and then it would be long enough that it wouldn't be irritated as I walk? I tried to stretch the planar fascia gradually, by using a night splint with a rolled up washcloth under my toes, to keep them as far up as they would go. This only seemed to irritate the planar fascia (and was uncomfortable after a few hours). Perhaps I should have started more gradually, but without the toe lifts the night splint didn't seem to do anything. In theory, it seems as if stretching the planar fascia ligament would be the solution to all of my problems. I'd really appreciate any insight others might have on this. Right now I don't know whether to continue trying to stretch my planar fascia, or to try to think of some other cure. Thanks very much--I'm desperate.
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