Taping for a Plantar Plate Tear

A plantar plate tear is a smaller tear or strain in the ligament which is under the smaller toe joints in the foot. It is usually associated with too much use, particularly in activities which need the toes to become bent up or dorsiflexed. The pain is typically just over the region distal to the joint on the bottom of the foot. As this issue is because of the toe bending to far backwards or upwards (dorsiflexing) when walking, taping is a great approach to restrict that movement.

The best way for plantar plate tear taping is to loop some tape around the toe to tug the toe down in a plantarflexed placement. The ends of the tape go below the ball of the foot and by looping around the toe it will keep it lower. The reasoning being is when we walk, and the heel comes up off the ground and the toe bends there is less strain on the plantar plate since the toe is kept from bending up. By doing this the taping a plantar plate tear may help the injury get better. This may require adequate time however is normally quite effective. Other techniques may be used to assist in preventing the dorsiflexion through the joint that is hurt, for example using a more inflexible sole footwear that is not bendable as this will prevent a lot of motion at the joints. There are also stiff plates that can be used as insoles to make the shoe more rigid. A foot orthotic device which has a cavity around the sore place could also be used to get force off the painful place may also make it more at ease to walk on. These types of approaches usually are very helpful, particularly that taping. However, as we still need to walk around on the foot and not get total rest, it can take many months of this approach in order to get a good outcome. Sometimes it does not really work out like that or the issue is particularly painful. In those cases, surgery to correct the tear could be indicated.

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