On October 5th Eli Manning, the quarterback for the New york Giants, was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis after limping off the field in the 4th quarter the day before.  In the NFL pregame show October 18th the treatment for Eli’s condition was discussed.  On the advice of an old football coach he is wearing cowboy boots during the day, using plantar fascia night splints, and wearing custom foot orthotics in his cleats.

Think about this, Eli Manning, a world champion quarterback, franchise quarterback for the New York Giants, brother of Peyton Manning and son of Archie Manning, has possibly the best medical care available second only to the president of the United States, but he is taking the advice of a former coach. Why? One simple reason, the advice is good!

Plantar fasciitis is an overuse injury resulting in heel and arch pain. Wearing cowboy boots takes the strain off of the plantar fascia. Dr. Geller always says, “You can’t begin to heal until the inflammation has gone away”. Taking the stress off the Achilles tendon by wearing cowboy boots plus the physical therapy the Giants training staff is providing for Eli is doing just that.

At Desert Foot Surgeons we often use splints at night. The plantar fascia night splint keeps the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia stretched while you sleep. If you get the severe sharp pains when you get out of bed in the morning this is what night splints are used for. If you can get rid of that morning “zinger” your day will be better.

The overuse part of Eli’s injury and anyone’s plantar fasciitis involves pronation or lowering of the arch. To review pronation is the normal shock absorbing motion of the foot. The foot rolls to the inside, the arch lowers and the heel turns out. This is good, we want to be able to absorb shock when we walk and run. Of course too much of a good thing is bad. When your arch is still lowering at a time when it should be stable is bad and leads to injury. Custom molded foot orthotics prevent abnormal flattening of the arch and heal the plantar fasciitis. Dr. Geller uses video gait analysis and a detailed examination to make the perfect custom molded foot orthotic that will keep your foot stable when walking.

Below are stretching and icing instructions Desert Foot Surgeons has available for patients with plantar fasciitis. Hopefully Eli won’t find this website before the Giants play the Cardinals.