Yesterday, headlines mentioned that N.Y. Giants Quarterback Eli Manning was out with Plantar Fasciitis of his left foot. I was surprised that he left the game so suddenly as Plantar Fasciitis is a chronic condition that can flare up with high impact activity. Apparently this was a previously undisclosed case. As a physician treating Plantar Fasciitis daily, I am certain that this condition will be a factor all year as he continues to compete; especially when he plants his foot to throw. I do believe he will be able to continue to play but he will feel the effects of the pain in his heel especially after sitting on the bench during half time. The best treatment for him will be aggressive physical therapy and immobilization(walking cast) during the week. I just question whether his trainers would consider a cortisone injection at game time, although it probably would provide the relief he needs to compete, I believe it would result in greater problems down the road. I think the best approach would be low energy shockwave therapy (radial wave therapy) walking cast during the week, aggressive taping at half time, I find if they can tape his great toe down it will reduce the pull on the Plantar Fascia. If you've never had Plantar Fasciitis, it can be extremely painful, and although not career threatening can certainly take a long time to resolve. Especially when you have athletes who compete at such a high level.
