Plantar heel pain — are you looking in the right place?

Have you ever had a client with stubborn plantar heel pain that just wouldn’t go away, no matter what you tried? The stretching, the orthotics, the strengthening exercises — none of it seemed to make a real, lasting difference.

It’s frustrating, isn’t it? For them. For you.

But let me tell you — the answers are often hidden in their story.

The case of the “mysterious” heel pain

I always tell my clients, “We need to do some detective work to understand how and why your injury occurred.”

A few weeks ago, I saw a woman who had been struggling with chronic heel pain, medial arch discomfort, and lateral shin pain for eight years. She had no idea why it started — until I asked her a simple question:

"Do you recall any injuries before your foot pain began?"

That’s when it clicked.

Five months before her symptoms appeared, she had flipped over the handlebars of her bike, landing hard on her hands and knees. No foot injury at the time, but this one detail changed everything.

The foot is rarely the whole story

Once we traced back her injury, I started looking at her whole-body mechanics — not just her foot. Here’s what I found:

• Left thoracic rotation affecting her overall movement.
• Saphenous nerve entrapment in the thigh, which supplies sensation to the medial arch and foot.
• Loss of knee external rotation due to tightness in the popliteus and associated muscles.
• Restricted mobility in the lateral column of the foot, impacting forefoot pronation and great toe extension.

Now, we had a clear roadmap.

With a targeted approach using low-level laser therapy, we worked through each of these issues in our first session. She was amazed at the difference and relieved to finally understand why her pain had persisted for so long.

The foot picks up the tab

I often tell my clients and students, “The foot has to pick up the tab for anything going wrong above it.”

And it’s true — many cases of plantar heel pain don’t start in the foot at all. That’s why digging deeper is the most important skill you can develop as a practitioner.

What’s the takeaway?

?? Dig into the client’s timeline — often, the key to their pain is hiding in their history.

?? Look beyond the foot — full-body patterns often hold the answers.

?? Identify multiple anatomical sources — symptoms can stem from areas seemingly unrelated to the pain itself.

Want to master this approach?

If you want to sharpen your skills in identifying the true sources of plantar heel pain, my Resolve plantar heel pain course is designed to give you a structured, step-by-step process for tackling even the most complex cases.

?? Course dates: February 28th – April 4th, 2025

??? Early bird pricing available until February 14th

If you’re ready to stop chasing symptoms and start creating lasting results, I’d love to see you inside.

Have you ever had a case where digging deeper completely changed your treatment approach? Let me know in the comments!

#AlliedHealth #Physiotherapy #Podiatry #PlantarHeelPain #ManualTherapy #ClientCare