Endoscopic plantar fascia release.

An anatomic exploration showed that reliable landmarks could allow a safe division of the plantar fascia. The reference line was the posterior border of the medial malleolus, 1 cm from the plantar skin. A clinical study on 53 patients (65 feet) showed that, at follow-up of over 2 years, the procedure effectively relieved heel pain in 89% of patients, morning stiffness in 92%, and allowed 71% to return to unrestricted sports activity. There were 2 complications with lateral heel pain. Patients must be properly selected, and must have had the full range of conservative treatment. Symptoms should have been intractable for approximately 1 year. In this group, good results can be expected with minimum short-term morbidity.