One common misconception of plantar fasciitis is that only inactive people get it. There are many famous cases of elite level athletes suffering from the condition too!
One of the most infamous stories of dealing with plantar fasciitis was Robert Harvey’s ‘self treatment’. In the early rounds of 2005, Robert Harvey was managing painful symptoms from plantar fasciitis but the condition was ultimately getting worse.
The medical staff at St Kilda proposed a long period of rest to Harvey to resolve symptoms, but being in the prime of his career, Harvey was keen to find a quicker resolution.
Team mates Fraser Gehrig and Justin Koschitzke had dealt with plantar fasciitis where “the only way to fix it was by snapping the band playing football” according to Harvey speaking on ‘The Front Bar’. Harvey’s solution was to go home after training one night and jump off his table repetitively until he felt the snap underneath his foot.
According to Harvey, he woke up the next morning and it had ‘fixed itself”. However, it is likely that he ruptured his plantar fascia with this deliberate move. The above diagram highlights a possible result of his action.
A month later, a West Coast Eagles player tried the same method to fix his plantar fasciitis after 3 months of failed treatment. He tried the same method by jumping off his fence, and managed to release his plantar fascia as Harvey did… but broke his ankle badly in the same jump.
This method of self treatment is definitely NOT RECOMMENDED as there are far safer and much more effective treatment options readily available including stretching, footwear choices, strapping, education, shockwave therapy, orthotics etc.
If you are in need of podiatry treatment today – book through this link! We offer specialist sports podiatry treatment here at Talaria – Podiatrist of Thornbury!