Plantar Fascia Release Technique

 

This technique is targeted at massaging the fully outstretched plantar fascial band, foot, ankle and calf muscles as this is when the soft tissues are at their tightest and when the adhesions and scar tissue are most apparent. It has a reported 90% rate of helping the pain and increasing the range of motion within the first 2-8 visits.

Endoscopic Plantar Fasciotomy

– Click the above link if you are referring to the surgical plantar fascia release technique. Otherwise the following article is about the massage method of plantar fascia release.

 

Active Plantar Fascia Release Technique

-This technique is similar to the Graston technique in that you stretch out the plantar fascia as much as possible and rub against the thick fascial band feeling for scar tissue and adhesions. Once you have located these irregularities- the tissue is massaged out in a perpendicular fashion with your hands over 2-8 treatments until the scar tissue resolves.  There are also massaging motions performed that increase blood flow, lymphatic flow and venous flow to decrease inflammation as well l as breaking up the scar tissue.  The developers of this technique claim that 90% of people beginning feeling much better after just two to three appointments, and this is most likely true(but keep reading to find out why this isn’t the ultimate cure).

-The technique is targeted at massaging the fully outstretched plantar fascial band, foot, ankle and calf muscles as this is when the soft tissues are at their tightest and when the adhesions and scar tissue are most apparent.

-The technique emphasizes massaging and moving at a very slow rate rather than fast erratic motions to break up and decrease the adhesions.  This technique is essentially a soft tissue massage targeting the plantar fascia.

 

Active Plantar Fascia Release Technique Review – Does it Work?

This technique has its benefits and disadvantages. The first thing you have to understand that this will definitely make everyone feel better and no one doubts this claim, but it is a treatment geared at relieving the symptoms rather than the cause of the problem.  It will remove the adhesions- but the adhesions are just one of the results of what is really causing the problem.

Plantar fascia is usually caused by an underlying biomechanical problem that is causing either tightness unequally across the body, imperfect motion in certain joints or even really loose muscles and joints in other areas.

In some cases it may be enough, if the person for example just had a traumatic episode like an incident of ruptured plantar fascia during a fall or scar tissue remaining from stepping on a nail – this treatment will work. But if you have a biomechanical problem like a tight muscle on one side, a shorter leg, a previous leg injury, increased weight, collapsed arches, injured ligaments or muscles- this is only a Band-Aid treatment.

 

Our Advice:

If it’s working for you- then definitely it will continue making you feel better, but just be aware that this is not the end all be all treatment, the pain does have a good chance of eventually coming back if the underlying biomechanical disorder is not corrected.

For more- see our painful foot arch section.