Plantar Plate Tear/Rupture: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment - Dr Foot Podiatry

Welcome to Dr Foot Podiatry Clinic!
search 0

Plantar Plate Tear/Rupture

Conditions

Plantar Plate Tear/Rupture

Description

Plantar plate tears occur on the thick ligament located at the underside of your foot that lines your toes. It is supposed to prevent your toes from bending upward beyond normal ranges. If there is an injury, pain can be felt when you bend your toes upwards or there might be swelling on the top or bottom of your foot along with redness.

How did this happen?

  • Usually caused by a strain of the plantar plate when too much pressure overloads it over some time perhaps during running 
  • Obesity where too much bodyweight is applied to the plantar plate
  • Frequent use of high heeled shoes stresses the plantar plate constantly leading to a tear

What should I do?

  • Apply ice packs to reduce inflammation
  • You can use anti-inflammatory medicine like ibuprofen to reduce inflammation
  • Avoid activities that can contribute to the pain
  • Seek help from a podiatrist

What kind of help can I get?

  • A podiatrist can advise medical insoles
  • A podiatrist can use straps to angle your toe downwards to assist in healing
  • Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy can be performed to speeds up the recovery 
  • Surgery can be performed when symptoms do not recover from conservative methods

How long till it recovers?

  • It can take 3-6 months to see improvements for conservative methods

Get in touch with us

If you want a faster respond, kindly reach out to us on WhatsApp here with your name and foot concern. We will get back to you as soon as possible.