The association between plantar heel pain and running surfaces in competitive long-distance male runners

Plantar heel pain (PHP) is a common complaint, and is most often caused by plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is reported to be associated with running surfaces, however the association between PHP and running surfaces has not previously been revealed in an epidemiological investigation. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the association between PHP and running surfaces.

This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 347 competitive long-distance male runners participated in this study. The participants completed an original questionnaire, which included items assessing demographic characteristics, training characteristics focusing on running surfaces (soft surface, hard surface and tartan), and the prevalence of PHP during the previous 12 months. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify the effect of running surfaces on PHP.

We found that 21.9% of participants had experienced PHP during the previous 12 months. The multivariate logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for demographic and training characteristics, revealed that running on tartan was associated with PHP (odds ratio 2.82, 95% confidence interval 1.42 to 5.61; P<0.01).

Our findings suggest that running more than 25% on tartan is associated with PHP in competitive long-distance male runners.