Symptoms of injury to the plantar plate
Symptoms of injury to the plantar plate
The plantar plate is a cartilage structure that lies below the inner joint of each toe (Metatarsophalangeal joint). The function of the plantar plate is to support the joint when the toe bends. As the load becomes more extensive when we run, there can occur a tear/rupture of the plantar plate through overload. A minor injury is a stress on the plate or rupture of the plate. In more complex cases, the plate may also have ruptured completely.
Symptoms of tear/rupture to the plantar plate are pain at the forefoot, below the inner (first) joint of the toe, or that the footpad feels thin and that it feels like walking on the foot bones, swelling, or redness near the toe, increased pain when bending the toe upwards. In more severe injuries, the toe can “float” “and difficult to get down on the ground or pull to one side.
The video shows why the metatarsals are overstressed and fractured. In this case, the Plantar Plate brokes instead, but for the same reason.
THIS IS HOW THE TREATMENT IS DONE
The treatment for the injury to the plantar plate is to get the muscles that support the toe to relax and regain their strength to support the injured joint.
Treatment step by step
- First, we go through the cause of the problem. We look at the posture of the foot.
- Then strength and mobility tests are performed on the feet.
- We treat the joints that do not move as they should.
- Then we have a basis on how we should treat the feet.
- For tear/rupture to the plantar plate, one must treat the right muscles to release the tension that gives the pain
- The treatment is done with a device called StretchPower. With the help of a bar, we expose the lower leg to pressure so that the ankle is bent, mobility increases, and the error is corrected. Before the treatment begins, we put it in the correct position in StretchPower to get the desired effect on the treatment.
- We usually get an immediate result on the pain that has arisen, and the patient feels much better immediately after the treatment.
- After the treatment, we go through how you walk and use your gait. The walking pattern always needs to be corrected so that you start using your feet in the right way and bring out the function of the foot when you walk.