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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffTo make a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis, your doctor reviews your medical history and physically examines your foot. An imaging test might be needed, too.
Physical exam
During the physical exam, your doctor checks for points of tenderness in your foot. The location of your pain can help determine if it's caused by other problems.
Your doctor may also check the musculoskeletal and neurological health of your ankle joint and foot by testing your:
- Reflexes
- Muscle strength
- Muscle tone
- Senses of touch and sight
- Coordination
- Balance
Imaging tests
Your doctor may suggest an X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to make sure your pain isn't being caused by another problem, such as a stress fracture or a pinched nerve.
Sometimes, an X-ray shows a spur of bone projecting forward from the heel bone. In the past, these bone spurs were often blamed for heel pain and removed surgically. But many people who have bone spurs on their heels have no heel pain.
- Plantar fasciitis and bone spurs. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00149. Accessed Feb. 2, 2011.
- Sheon RP, et al. Plantar fasciitis and other causes of heel and sole pain. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 27, 2011.
- Pasquina PF, et al. Plantar fasciitis. In: Frontera WR, et al. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Musculoskeletal Disorders, Pain, and Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1678/0.html. Accessed Feb. 2, 2011.
- Thomas JL, et al. The diagnosis and treatment of heel pain: A clinical practice guideline — Revision 2010. The Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery. 2010;49(suppl):S1.
- Running and jogging injuries. American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. http://www.sportsmed.org/secure/reveal/admin/uploads/documents/ST%20Running%20and%20Jogging%2008.pdf. Accessed Feb. 7, 2011.
- Stracciolini A, et al. Sports rehabilitation of the injured athlete. Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine. 2007;8:43.
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