Plantar fasciitis surgery, also known as plantar fasciotomy, aims to reduce heel pain and improve mobility when other conservative treatments are no longer effective. The plantar fascia is a thick ligament that extends right through from your heel to your toes. It provides important support to the arch of your foot. When this ligament becomes irritated it can cause painful symptoms that make it difficult to perform daily tasks such as standing, walking, or playing sport. The discomfort can also impact your back, leg and hip.

In most cases, plantar fasciitis symptoms can be treated with non-invasive methods such as orthotics, physiotherapy, shockwave therapy, targeted exercises and anti-inflammatory medication. In a small number of cases, surgery may be recommended to release part of the ligament from the heel bone and help reduce the tension. Plantar fasciitis surgery is usually performed as an outpatient procedure, with patients returning home the same day.

General recovery times 

Although plantar fasciitis is completed as day surgery, there is still a considerable amount of healing to take place before you can fully resume daily activities. It’s important to keep the foot elevated as much as possible in the first two weeks. If the procedure is performed as minimally invasive surgery, the recovery will be faster and patients will be able to bear weight in a special boot for the first two weeks.

As you recover from surgery, you can begin to increase your exercise and return to light training after 6-12 weeks. Start with walking and cycling before progressing to running and contact sport. For office-based jobs it may be possible to return to work after one week, but for patients that work in more physical environments it is generally recommended not to return within one month. A full recovery can take up to 6 months.

Familiarising yourself with your treatment program and understanding the recovery process are important steps to take on the pathway to surgery.

Patient journey - Foot Surgery