Plantar fasciitis is an inflammatory condition that causes extreme pain to the bottom or plantar surface of the heel. The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue arising on the heel bone and extends out into the arch of the foot.  Plantar fasciitis used to be referred to as heel spurs but it is now known that the spur is an incidental finding and is not the cause of pain and does not need to be surgically removed. 

When conservative treatment (stretching,  night splints, anti-inflammatories,  orthotics, and shoe gear modifications) fail,  surgical release of the plantar fascia is indicated.  This is a simple outpatient surgical procedure, when performed endoscopically, that takes approximately 5 minutes to perform and has a relatively fast recovery being that only two tiny incisions are performed. 

Immediately after surgery the patient is placed into a walking boot and given crutches.  The crutches are typically only needed for the first 24-48 hours. After 1-2 days the patient is then allowed to walk in the walking boot as tolerated. The sutures are removed in 10-14 days and the patient is able to return to activity as tolerated at this point. 

This procedure as dramatically decreased the recovery time for those patients who previously would have had an open plantar fascia release. Endoscopic plantar fascial release is reserved for those who have failed conservative treatment for plantar fasciitis for several months. 

See Video below on how the technique is performed.