Plantar Fasciitis in FIFO workers

Plantar Fasciitis in FIFO workers

Plantar Fasciitis in FIFO workers

Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain. It occurs due to inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is a ligament that connects the heel to the toes. FIFO workers or construction workers can usually be on their feet for long hours during their shift of work. This puts the plantar fascia under a lot of repetitive tension. This can lead to tearing in the ligament, in some cases.

There are various risk factors that can contribute to the inflammation of the plantar fascia over a period of time. These factors are:

Foot posture, leading to defective biomechanics. This can involve being flat foot or having high arches
Weight gain or high BMI
Occupations with prolonged standing
Improper footwear
Increase in activity such as changing from a sedentary job to a more active role.

In FIFO workers, studies have shown that men and women have jobs that are regarded to have heavy physical demands. Most of the subjects were standing for long hours on hard surfaces, lifting heavy objects and also getting in and out of vehicles (e.g. forklifts or truck drivers).

Treating heel pain in the acute stage (4 weeks) is always advised. When individuals “push through” the pain and the condition becomes chronic, which makes it difficult to treat. As soon as symptoms start presenting themselves such as sharp pain on the initial step in the morning, pain after standing for too long or worse after physical activity, seek medical advice from a podiatrist.

Rotating your work shoes/boots often can help prevent heel pain from occurring. Adjusting work stations (e.g. cushioned mats for workers standing on hard concrete floors) or allowing workers to alternate between sitting and standing jobs, is also an effective way of preventing heel pain.

There are several treatment options that a podiatrist can give, to help manage the heel pain. These treatment options are:

Orthotics to go into your shoes/ work boots
Stretches
Dry needling
Shockwave therapy
Strapping

When in the acute stage of inflammation/pain there are things you can do at home before seeking medical attention. Ice packing the area, stretching the calf muscles and the plantar fascia ligament, rolling the bottom of your foot on a cold water bottle or a golf ball, can all help reduce some of the inflammation/pain.

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References

Fox, N. (2014, July 7). Stand Up to Painful Feet. LHSFNA, https://www.lhsfna.org/stand-up-to-painful-feet/
Waclawski, E. R., Beach, J., Milne, A., Yacyshyn, E., & Dryden, D.M. (2015). Systematic review: plantar fasciitis and prolonged weight bearing. Occupational Medicine, 65(2), 97-106. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqu177
Werner, R. A., Gell, N., Hartigan, A., Wiggerman, N., & Keyserling, W. M. (2010). Risk Factors for Plantar Fasciitis Among Assembly Plant Workers. PM&R, 2(2), 110-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmrj.2009.11.012

Plantar Fasciitis in FIFO workers

These findings suggest several options for primary and secondary prevention strategies. Shoe rotation seems to be an effective strategy that may be used as either a primary or secondary strategy. The use of shoe orthoses with a medial longitudinal arch and metatarsal pad may be used in the same way. Work stations that decrease the percentage of time walking or standing on hard surfaces (eg, allowing workers to alternate between sitting and standing postures, or providing cushioning mats for concrete surfaces) may lower the risk for plantar fasciitis These findings suggest several options for primary and secondary prevention strategies.

Shoe rotation seems to be an effective strategy that may be used as either a primary or secondary strategy. The use of shoe orthoses with a medial longitudinal arch and metatarsal pad may be used in the same way. Work stations that decrease the percentage of time walking or standing on hard surfaces (eg, allowing workers to alternate between sitting and standing postures, or providing cushioning mats for concrete surfaces) may lower the risk for plantar fasciitis.