Plantar fasciitis or inflammation of the plantar fascia happens when the ligament develops micro-traumas where it joins the heel bone, or along its length. With poor bio-mechanics, excessive use or other risk factors, the pressure applied to the plantar fascia during walking or running and the transfer of body weight from one foot to the other can force the fascia from where it joins to the heel and lead to microscopic tears.

Word Count: 553 It is rare for surgery to be required to cure plantar fasciitis. More than ninety percent of people enjoy a full recovery from plantar fasciitis within one year of the beginning of treatment by non-invasive means. Only in the most extreme cases is surgery required. Surgery should be a last resort. Only people who have completed a structured non-invasive treatment course for at least 9 months should consider surgery for plantar fasciitis. What Is More, before agreeing to a surgery, you should fully comprehend both the likely hazards and benefits of plantar fasciitis surgery.

Surgery for the treatment of plantar fasciitis is not as cut and dried as a surgeon would like. For example, in the case of knee replacement surgery, where a 95% success rate is common. The rate of success for surgery for plantar fasciitis is no where near as high. Foreseeable complications of surgery for plantar fasciitis include:

Exaggerated release of the plantar fascia ligament. The aim in surgery for plantar fasciitis is to release close to 30-50% of the plantar fascia. Releasing more than this amount during surgery may cause a flat foot and the foot arch being lowered below optimal levels. If this happens after surgery for plantar fasciitis it can result in chronic conditions that may be just as severe as the original pain.

Damage to the foot nerves. Small nerves run along the sides of the plantar fascia from the heel to the ball of the foot. During plantar fascia surgery these nerves may be damaged leading to pain or loss of sensation in certain areas of the foot.

Continued pain. Even if a patient displays plantar fasciitis symptoms, foot pain may not be caused by plantar fasciitis. So, even following completely successful plantar fasciitis surgery, some people may have continued pain.

Foot Infection. Infection is a real danger after any surgery. If the patient does become infected following surgery, antibiotics may be required. Also, further surgery may be needed to remove any infection.

Despite the potential complications with surgery, approximately 70-80% of people will have successful surgery for plantar fasciitis and relief from their symptoms.

New technology allow surgery for plantar fasciitis to be performed through small slits in the skin using a tiny tv camera to find the plantar fascia ligament and guide the surgical incision in a technique called endoscopic plantar fascia release.

Many surgeons believe this operation to increase the risk of harm to the tiny nerves of the foot. No clear resolution whether endoscopic plantar fascia release is preferable than a traditional plantar fascia release, most surgeons continue to carry out the traditional approach.

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