Our team of specialists and staff believe that informed patients are better equipped to make decisions regarding their health and well being. For your personal use, we have created an extensive patient library covering an array of educational topics. Browse through these diagnoses and treatments to learn more about topics of interest to you. Or, for a more comprehensive search of our entire Web site, enter your term(s) in the search bar provided.
As always, you can contact our office to answer any questions or concerns.
- Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD)
- Accessory Navicular Syndrome
- Common Disorders of the Achilles Tendon
- Achilles Tendon Rupture
- Diabetic Complications and Amputation Prevention
- Ankle Arthritis
- Ankle Fractures
- Chronic Ankle Instability
- Ankle Pain
- Ankle Sprain
- Arch Pain
- Arch Supports
- Athlete's Foot
- Baseball Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Basketball Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Soft Tissue Biopsy
- Black Toenails
- Bone Healing
- Bone Infection
- Bone Tumors in the Foot
- Brachymetararsia
- Bunions (Hallux Abducto Valgus)
- Bursitis
- Calcaneal Apophysitis (Sever's Disease)
- Fractures of the Calcaneus (Heel Bone Fractures)
- Calf Pain
- Callus
- Capsulitis of the Second Toe
- Cavus Foot (High-Arched Foot)
- Charcot Foot
- Clubfoot
- Cold Feet
- Compartment Syndrome
- Contact Dermatitis
- Corns
- Cracked Heels
- Crutch Use
- Custom Orthotic Devices
- Cyst-Ganglion
- Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
- Dermatitis
- Diabetic Complications and Amputation Prevention
- Diabetic Foot Care Guidelines
- Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
- Diabetic Shoes
- Drop Foot
- Dry Heels
- DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis)
- Eczema of the Foot
- Equinus
- Extra Bones
- Fallen Arches
- Field Hockey Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Fifth Metatarsal Fracture
- Flatfoot-Adult Acquired
- Flatfoot-Flexible
- Flatfoot-Pediatric
- Flexible Flatfoot
- Foot Arthritis
- Foot Bumps
- Foot Drop
- Foot Fracture
- Foot Lumps
- Foot Odor
- Foot Rash
- Football Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Fracture-Ankle
- Fracture-Foot
- Fractures of the Calcaneus (Heel Bone Fractures)
- Fractures of the Fifth Metatarsal
- Fracture-Toe
- Frostbite
- Fungal Nails
- Ganglion Cyst
- Gangrene
- Golf Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Gout
- Haglund's Deformity
- Hallux Rigidus
- Hammertoes
- Heel Bone Fractures
- Heel Cracks
- Heel Fissures
- Heel Pain (Plantar Fasciitis)
- High-Arched Foot
- Inflammation: Actue
- Ingrown Toenails
- Instructions for Using Crutches
- Intermetatarsal Neuroma
- Intoeing
- Joint Pain in the Foot
- Joint Swelling in the Foot
- Jones Fracture
- Lacrosse Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Lisfranc Injuries
- Lumps
- Malignant Melanoma of the Foot
- MRSA Infection of the Foot
- Orthotics
- Os Trigonum Syndrome
- Osteoporosis
- Osteoarthritis of the Foot and Ankle
- Osteomyelitis (Bone Infection)
- Osteopenia
- P.A.D. (Peripheral Arterial Disease)
- Pediatric Flatfoot
- Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.)
- Peripheral Neuropathy: Diabetic
- Peroneal Tendon Injuries
- Pigeon-toes
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Plantar Fibroma
- Plantar Wart (Verruca Plantaris)
- Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD)
- Pump Bump (Hallux Rigidus)
- Puncture Wounds
- Rash
- Raynauds Phenomenon
- Restless Legs
- Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Foot and Ankle
- R.I.C.E Protocol
- Rugby Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Running and Track Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Running Injuries
- Sesamoid Injuries in the Foot
- Shin Splints
- Shoe Inserts
- Skin Cancer of the Foot and Ankle
- Smelly Feet
- Soccer Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Soft Tissue Biopsy
- Softball Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Sports Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Staph Infections of the Foot
- Stress Fracture in the Foot
- Sweaty Feet
- Swollen Ankles
- Swollen Feet
- Synovitis
- Tailor's Bunion
- Talar Dome Lesion
- Tarsal Coalition
- Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
- Tennis Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Thick Toenails
- Tingly Feet
- Tired Feet
- Toe and Metatarsal Fractures (Broken Toes)
- Toe Walking
- Turf Toe
- Ulcers/Wounds
- Varicose Veins
- Volleyball Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Warts
- Weak Ankles
- Webbed Toes
- White Toenails
- Wounds/Ulcers
- Wounds-Puncture
- Yellow Toenails
What is the Plantar Fibroma?
A plantar fibroma is a fibrous knot (nodule) in the arch of the foot. It is embedded within the plantar fascia, a band of tissue that extends from the heel to the toes on the bottom of the foot. A plantar fibroma can develop in one or both feet, is benign (non-malignant), and usually will not go away or get smaller without treatment. Definitive causes for this condition have not been clearly identified.
Signs and Symptoms
The characteristic sign of a plantar fibroma is a noticeable lump in the arch that feels firm to the touch. This mass can remain the same size or get larger over time, or additional fibromas may develop.
People who have a plantar fibroma may or may not have pain. When pain does occur, it is often caused by shoes pushing against the lump in the arch, although it can also arise when walking or standing barefoot.
Diagnosis
To diagnose a plantar fibroma, the foot and ankle surgeon will examine the foot and press on the affected area. Sometimes this can produce pain that extends down to the toes. An MRI or biopsy may be performed to further evaluate the lump and aid in diagnosis.
Treatment Options
Non-surgical treatment may help relieve the pain of a plantar fibroma, although it will not make the mass disappear. The foot and ankle surgeon may select one or more of the following non-surgical options:
-
Steroid injections. Injecting corticosteroid medication into the mass may help shrink it and thereby relieve the pain that occurs when walking. This reduction may be only temporary and the fibroma could slowly return to its original size.
-
Orthotic devices. If the fibroma is stable, meaning it is not changing in size, custom orthotic devices (shoe inserts) may relieve the pain by distributing the patient’s weight away from the fibroma.
-
Physical therapy. The pain is sometimes treated through physical therapy methods that deliver anti-inflammatory medication into the fibroma without the need for injection.
If the mass increases in size or pain, the patient should be further evaluated. Surgical treatment to remove the fibroma is considered if the patient continues to experience pain following non-surgical approaches.
Surgical removal of a plantar fibroma may result in a flattening of the arch or development of hammertoes. Orthotic devices may be prescribed to provide support to the foot. Due to the high incidence of recurrence with this condition, continued follow-up with the foot and ankle surgeon is recommended.