The Dreaded Heel Spur...

When you first look at this image, your eyes immediately go to the heel spur. It’s striking, no doubt about it. But while we might find it fascinating as therapists, the person living with it certainly doesn’t feel the same way. And when someone walks into the clinic with a spur or plantar fasciitis, we know it often means a tough session working on the bottom of the foot. Let’s be honest — feet aren’t always fun to treat.

That’s exactly why we need to work smarter, not harder.

Now take another look at the image. Shift your focus away from the heel spur and toward the talus. Notice how it isn’t sitting quite where it should be.

The Talus, Ankle Dorsiflexion, and Plantar Fasciitis

When we think about ankle dorsiflexion, we usually focus on calf tightness or joint stiffness. But there’s another important piece — the talus.

The talus has to glide backward under the tibia during dorsiflexion. If it’s slightly out of place, or restricted in this movement, dorsiflexion becomes limited. This subtle shift can have big downstream effects-

• Restricted dorsiflexion forces the foot to compensate, often by collapsing through the arch or overloading the plantar fascia.

• Extra tension builds in the plantar fascia with each step, especially during push-off when dorsiflexion is most needed.

• Chronic overload of the fascia increases the risk of micro-tears, inflammation, and the painful cycle of plantar fasciitis.

Why It Matters for Therapists

If a client’s talus is “stuck” anteriorly, traditional stretching and orthotics may not fully resolve the problem. They may improve symptoms temporarily but won’t fix the underlying mechanics.

Hands-on techniques that restore talar glide and ankle joint mobility can-

• Improve dorsiflexion range,

• Reduce compensatory strain on the plantar fascia,

• Support long-term resolution of heel pain.

The RAPID Connection

RAPID treatments can help by:

• Mobilizing the talus and surrounding tissues, restoring normal ankle biomechanics.

• Stimulating local neurochemical changes, like Substance P release, which both modulates pain and encourages macrophages to shift from inflammatory to healing modes to reignite healing.

• Reducing sensitization in the fascia itself, helping break the chronic pain cycle.

👉 In short- an out-of-place talus limits dorsiflexion, which overloads the plantar fascia and sets the stage for plantar fasciitis or the development of a heel spur . Addressing this restriction directly — along with fascial and neuroimmune mechanisms — gives therapists a more complete strategy for lasting results.