Novel Therapeutic Approach for Tibial Nerve Entrapment in Chronic Heel Pain Diagnosed as Plantar Fasciitis: A Case Report / 대한스포츠의학회지

ABSTRACT

Plantar heel pain is common in sports medicine and orthopedics; it is usually diagnosed as plantar fasciitis. We report the case of a 43-year-old healthy man with chronic pain over the right heel for 5 years. He was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis and received conservative treatment. Surgery was recommended for the intractable pain, which he refused. He had tenderness in the medial calcaneal tubercle region and midportion of soleus muscle near the tendinous arch. At a tibial nerve entrapment point (NEP) over the tender soleus, 4-mL isotonic saline was injected at presentation and 1, 3, and 6 weeks later. The pain improved significantly. He had no adverse effects or aggravation of symptoms at 6 months later. The injection therapy at NEP of the soleus can be considered in chronic unhealed plantar heel pain, including plantar fasciitis, to release the entrapped tibial nerve.