“Approximately one-quarter of the population is affected by foot pain at any given time.”¹

Injuries of the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia are very painful and can occur in both athletes and non-athletes alike.  Both are caused by a tissue “overload” due to an increased magnitude or amplitude of force.  An inflammatory response occurs due to the injury and is usually  accompanied by swelling.²  Achilles tendonitis affects the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles while plantar fasciitis affects the calcaneal attachment of the plantar fascia.² 

Due to high use during sport training and events, a wide array of athletes involved in running and jumping sports may experience Achilles tendonitis² and/or plantar fasciitis.  Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin has suffered from Achilles tendonitis throughout his football career from high school through the NFL³ and veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde suffered from Achilles tendonitis in his final 2007 NFL season.⁴ Plantar fasciitis has been experienced by NFL players such as Eli Manning⁵ and MLB players such as Albert Pujols⁶ of the St. Louis Cardinals and Carlos Quentin⁷ of the Chicago White Sox. 

The pain experienced by these and other athletes when an Achilles tendonitis or plantar fasciitis injury occurs is a result of inflammation.²  The initial inflammatory response is necessary to heal the injury, but interrupting it with drug therapy can delay healing.²  Swelling may occur when damage to the tendon causes “bleeding and increased permeability of the remaining vessels, so fluid accumulates in the area”.²  Managing the inflammation is key to returning your athletes to play. 

Sterile PolyMem dressings and non-sterile SportsWrap by PolyMem can help to decrease the inflammation and swelling associated with Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis, helping to decrease the pain and get athletes back in the game faster. 

The drug-free formulation helps suppress the spread of inflammation, and edema of these injuries even when applied to intact skin over the injury site.  By reducing inflammation and edema, PolyMem is helping to reduce the risk that the injury will progress to the chronic inflammatory phase, which can result in longer recovery times and can keep your players on the sidelines rather than in the game. While the PolyMem formulation is helping to reduce the spread of the inflammation and edema caused by the injury, it does not interfere with the necessary local inflammatory response required for healing of the injury. The use of PolyMem and SportsWrap helps the athletes maintain their range of motion and return to play faster.  PolyMem dressings help to inhibit the nociceptor response, which, in addition to helping relieve inflammation and edema, helps decrease the amount of pain athletes experience due to Achilles tendonitis or plantar fasciitis.  By decreasing the level of pain, inflammation and edema they are experiencing, they are able to initiate and maintain the necessary rehabilitation exercises for the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia. 

PolyMem dressings and SportsWrap by PolyMem wraps can be used during training as well as during resting periods, when players are not able to continue working out.  PolyMem dressings and wraps may be left in place for up to eight days.  With the exceptions of dressing changes, while working out, or showering, athletes should keep the dressing on at all times.  If the athlete does not use the PolyMem dressing or wrap as often as possible, they will not receive the maximum benefits available with the PolyMem formulation.  If the dressing or wrap becomes saturated, a new dressing or wrap must be applied. 

PolyMem dressings are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, thicknesses, with or without adhesive tape borders, and with or without antimicrobial silver.  SportsWrap by PolyMem is available in a variety of lengths and widths for optimal coverage. 

Find out how to apply PolyMem dressings and wraps to Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis in order to get optimal outcomes; contact us to receive a DVD, featuring Ed Ryan, ATC, or for additional information on PolyMem dressings and SportsWrap by PolyMem. 

Gravity does not take one second off!  We are constantly overcoming or fighting gravity, and our feet are the interface, so they don’t get much of a break.  Two structures of the foot that are subjected to great stress in sports are the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia.  When the tissue’s ability to withstand the force production/reduction is stressed, the tissue breaks down.  That’s when we see athletes limping in to the training room or clinic because something hurts and almost 100% of the time, they report that the first couple of steps in the morning are the most painful.

Managing the inflammation, pain, and swelling of Achilles tendinopathy or plantar fasciitis is a challenge often complicated by the inability to put the tissues at rest.  Sometimes, it is necessary to limit weight bearing in addition to using various modalities and interventions.  There are many manual, thermal, and electrical modalities that are useful and effective to reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation.  Once these are under control, tissue strength must be addressed.  This presents a balancing challenge to find the right amount of stress to provide a strengthening stimulus, without causing more damage to the Achilles tendon or plantar fascia. 

So, the management of pain, swelling, and inflammation is essential throughout the entire continuum of tissue healing and remodeling.  PolyMem and SportsWrap’s formulation is extremely effective in reducing swelling, localizing inflammation, and relieving pain.  Used alone, or in combination with other modalities, athletes report that their feet simply don’t hurt as bad when using PolyMem or SportsWrap.  When athletes are suffering from the Achilles tendinopathy or plantar fascia, but are still able to participate, it is very effective to instruct them to apply a SportsWrap before they take a post-practice nap or go to sleep.  Give them a plastic bag to put their SportsWrap in when it’s not in use and they can leave it on their nightstand.  If their problem limits them from training, PolyMem or SportsWrap should be applied constantly except when bathing or receiving treatment.  Sterile PolyMem should always be used following invasive procedures such as surgery or injections and contributes to wound closure and healing while relieving pain, reducing swelling, and localizing inflammation. 

Once the injury management progresses into the tissue strengthening phase through eccentrics, PolyMem and SportsWrap should be continued due to the inflammation caused by the increased load.  During this phase, the SportsWrap or PolyMem may only be required when sleeping. 

Help your athletes suffering from Achilles tendinopathy or plantar fasciitis by relieving the pain of those first few steps when they get out of bed in the morning by using PolyMem or SportsWrap!

Cheers,
Ed Ryan, ATC

An example of PolyMem QuadraFoam in use on wound-related pain.
Click here to view a copy.
 

ABSTRACT:
Approximately one-quarter of the population are affected by foot pain at any given time. It is often disabling and can impair mood, behaviour, self-care ability and overall quality of life. Currently, the nature and mechanism underlying many types of foot pain is not clearly understood. Here we comprehensively review the literature on foot pain, with specific reference to its definition, prevalence, aetiology and predictors, classification, measurement and impact. We also discuss the complexities of foot pain as a sensory, emotional and psychosocial experience in the context of clinical practice, therapeutic trials and the placebo effect. A deeper understanding of foot pain is needed to identify causal pathways, classify diagnoses, quantify severity, evaluate long term implications and better target clinical intervention.
To read the full article Understanding the nature and mechanism of foot pain from the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research click the link to the right.

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Previous PolyMem for Sports Quarterlies

1 Hawke F, Burns J. Understanding the nature and mechanism of foot pain in Journal of Foot and Ankle Research. Biomed Central Ltd. Jan 2009.  2:1;doi:10.1186/1757-1146-2-1.
2 Stanish WD, Curwin S, Mandell S. Tendinitis: its etiology and treatment. Oxford University Press, Inc. New York. 2000. P 19-31-64.
3 Percy Harvin. 08 Aug. 2010. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 18 Aug. 2010, from Wikipedia Web Site: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Harvin>.
4 Vinny Testaverde. 11 July 2010. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 18 Aug. 2010, from Wikipedia Web Site: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinny_Testaverde>.
5 Morgan, R. 09 Dec. 2009. Giants Quarterback Eli Manning and Injurious Plantar Fasciitis. 12 Aug. 2010, from Associated Content Web Site:< http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2464980/giants
_quarterback_eli_manning_injurious.html?cat=5>
6 "Albert Pujols - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. <<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Pujols>
7 “The Trainer’s Room: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis” Midwest Sports Fans. N.p., n.d. Web 28 Sept. 2010 < http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2009/07/treatment-for-plantar-fasciitis-symptoms-
recovery-diagnosis-carlos-quentin-denver/>

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