Editing Plantar fasciitis (section)

==Pathophysiology==
[[File:PF-PlantarDesignCrop.jpg|thumb|Drawing of the plantar fascia]]
The cause of plantar fasciitis is poorly understood and appears to have several contributing factors.<ref name="Yin_2014"/> The plantar fascia is a [[Aponeurosis|thick fibrous band of connective tissue]] that originates from the [[Tubercle (anatomy)|medial tubercle]] and anterior aspect of the [[calcaneus|heel bone]]. From there, the fascia extends along the [[Sole (foot)|sole of the foot]] before inserting at the base of the [[toe]]s and supports the [[Arches of the foot|arch of the foot]].<ref name="Rosenbaum_2014"/><ref name="Molloy_2012">{{cite journal | vauthors = Molloy LA | title = Managing chronic plantar fasciitis: when conservative strategies fail | journal = JAAPA | volume = 25 | issue = 11 | pages = 48, 50, 52-48, 50, 53 | date = November 2012 | pmid = 23620924 | doi = 10.1097/01720610-201211000-00009 | s2cid = 36296481 }}</ref><ref name="Orchard_2012">{{cite journal | vauthors = Orchard J | title = Plantar fasciitis | journal = BMJ | volume = 345 | issue = oct10 1 | pages = e6603 | date = October 2012 | pmid = 23054045 | doi = 10.1136/bmj.e6603 | s2cid = 27948691 }}</ref>

Plantar fasciitis is a non-inflammatory condition of the plantar fascia. Within the last decade, studies have observed [[Histology|microscopic anatomical]] changes indicating that plantar fasciitis is due to a non-inflammatory structural breakdown of the plantar fascia rather than an inflammatory process.<ref name="Tahririan_2012"/><ref name="Yin_2014"/>

Many in the academic community have stated the condition should be renamed plantar fasciosis in light of these newer findings.<ref name="Tu_2011"/> Repetitive [[microtrauma]] (small tears) appears to cause a structural breakdown of the plantar fascia.<ref name="Monto_2013"/><ref name="Orchard_2012"/> Microscopic examination of the plantar fascia often shows [[myxomatous degeneration]], connective tissue [[calcification|calcium deposits]], and disorganized collagen fibers.<ref name="Lareau_2014"/>

Disruptions in the plantar fascia's normal mechanical movement during standing and walking (known as the Windlass mechanism) place excess strain on the [[calcaneal tuberosity]] and seem to contribute to the development of plantar fasciitis.<ref name="Yin_2014"/> Other studies have also suggested that plantar fasciitis is not due to the inflamed plantar fascia but maybe a [[tendinopathy|tendon injury]] involving the [[flexor digitorum brevis muscle]] located immediately deep to the plantar fascia.<ref name="Orchard_2012"/>