Treating Plantar Fasciitis: What 28 Years and Over 7,000 Pairs of Feet Have Taught Me About Heel Pain
If you’ve been told you have plantar fasciitis, there’s a significant chance you’ve been misdiagnosed. And if you genuinely do have plantar fasciitis, there’s an even greater chance you’ve been given treatment that won’t work for your specific situation.
After 28 years treating heel pain - from my early days as a British Army medic working with paratroopers, through founding BxClinic in Norwich in 2008, to speaking at international conferences on 3D orthotic technology - I’ve examined over 7,000 pairs of feet. What I’ve learned has fundamentally changed how I understand and treat what most people call “plantar fasciitis.”
Here’s the truth: plantar fasciitis has become an umbrella term used to describe more than 40 different heel pain conditions. This diagnostic confusion is why so many people suffer for months or years with heel pain that “won’t go away” despite trying stretches, night splints, insoles from the chemist or Amazon, steroid injections, and every other treatment your Google search suggests.
But when heel pain is properly diagnosed and appropriately treated, the outcomes are remarkable. At BxClinic, we see 92% complete resolution of genuine plantar fasciitis cases. Not management. Not “learning to live with it.” Complete resolution.
Let me share what nearly three decades of clinical experience - including treating my own plantar fasciitis - has taught me about what actually works for heel pain in Norwich and beyond.
Why Most Heel Pain Treatment Fails
In 2016, I attended a conference on ankylosing spondyloarthropathy (a type of inflammatory arthritis). One of the key diagnostic indicators discussed was heel pain that wouldn’t resolve, particularly in females under 40.
At the end of the conference, several musculoskeletal practitioners - physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors - commented to the conference chair that they were pleased to finally have a possible answer for heel pain cases they’d been treating for years with no success.
I put my hand up and asked a simple question: “Why hadn’t you referred these patients to podiatry for assessment?”
The response was telling. It hadn’t even crossed their minds. Despite podiatrists being the academically recognised experts in foot and ankle conditions, we were invisible in the heel pain referral pathway.
This revelation led me to dig deeper. Working with my wife, a data analyst, we analysed online conversations across forums like Reddit and surveyed healthcare professionals about heel pain diagnosis and treatment. What we discovered was startling:
Podiatrists are seen as the authority on plantar fasciitis knowledge, but not as the place for treatment.
This disconnect means patients often receive treatment for “plantar fasciitis” from practitioners who haven’t been trained to differentiate between the 40+ conditions that can cause heel pain. It’s not that these practitioners are incompetent - they’re simply applying a “plantar fasciitis protocol” to conditions that aren’t actually plantar fasciitis.
The result? Treatment that doesn’t work, patients who suffer unnecessarily, and growing frustration with a condition that “won’t heal.”
What Actually IS Plantar Fasciitis? (And What Isn’t)
After surveying 380+ clinicians as part of the #PodsHealHeels campaign I founded to raise awareness of proper heel pain diagnosis, the most common misdiagnoses I see are:
Mistaken for Plantar Fasciitis:
- Plantar intrinsic muscle problems (flexor hallucis brevis, flexor digitorum brevis, abductor hallucis)
- Tibialis posterior dysfunction
- Plantar fat pad syndrome
- Plantar calcaneal bursitis (policeman’s heel) - this one is particularly commonly confused with plantar fasciitis in your Google search, despite requiring quite different treatment
- Deltoid ligament issues
- Sinus tarsi syndrome
- Achilles-related heel pain
The confusion arises because many foot and heel conditions share one characteristic: pain when you first stand on your foot in the morning or after resting, which then eases off within 30 minutes of weight-bearing.
But this symptom pattern isn’t unique to plantar fasciitis. It’s a characteristic of many foot tissue injuries and inflammatory conditions.
True plantar fasciitis has a very specific pain location: the medial calcaneal tubercle, where the plantar fascia attaches to the heel bone. If your pain is:
- Directly under the centre of your heel (more likely fat pad or bursa)
- In your arch (more likely intrinsic muscle or fascia mid-substance)
- Accompanied by pins and needles or burning (more likely nerve involvement)
- Present constantly rather than worse first thing and easing (different pathology)
- Spreading into your arch or back towards your Achilles (likely multiple structures involved)
…then you probably don’t have plantar fasciitis, regardless of what you’ve been told.
This diagnostic precision matters enormously because treatment that works for genuine plantar fasciitis may not work - or may even worsen - other heel pain conditions. (Here is our self help guide to explain your heel pain.)
My Journey: From Army Medic to Norwich’s Heel Pain Specialist
The Paratrooper Years (late 1990s)
I first encountered heel pain as a medic for the paratroopers. I hadn’t been taught specifically about plantar fasciitis, so I treated it as a musculoskeletal injury: we had to make quick decisions on keeping the soldier in the field or evacuating them so it was ‘ibuprofen and tape it up’ and keep going.
In hindsight, this was actually appropriate treatment for that demographic. Young, fit paratroopers were primarily experiencing short-term overuse injuries as they increased training load and the literal load in their backpacks. The tape provided biomechanical support during the acute phase, the anti-inflammatory addressed the inflammation, and their youth and fitness meant they healed quickly.
But this approach doesn’t work for a 45-year-old office worker/‘weekend warrior’ or a 65-year-old dog walker with chronic heel pain. Treatment must match the patient population and the specific pathology.
University and the Diagnostic Confusion (early 2000s)
At university, we were taught that plantar fasciitis could be identified by “heel pain first thing in the morning or rising after rest that lasted for a few minutes and then wore off.”
This became the diagnostic criterion. However, when I started working with real patients and using advanced gait analysis technology, it became clear that most foot, heel, and arch pain responds with this pattern. This is where the diagnostic confusion originates - any heel pain exhibiting morning stiffness gets labelled “plantar fasciitis, when maybe it shouldn’t
Creating Clinical Protocols for Advanced Technology (Mid 2000s)
After leaving the NHS, I was brought into a company designing and selling advanced digital gait analysis technology. My role was to create clinical protocols for interpreting foot pressure data, integrating it with other gait analysis tools such as video to optimise prescribing orthotic insoles based on this analysis.
This was the start of my teaching journey - and where I began to see the disconnect between advancing clinical theories and the actual capacity of orthotic insoles to achieve the desired biomechanical effects.
I was also able to integrate my undergraduate dissertation on the specific material properties of orthotic insole design. This technical understanding would later become crucial when 3D printing technology emerged.
Learning What Orthotics Alone Can’t Fix (Mid 2000s)
I was refining orthotic prescriptions within the confines of existing manufacturing possibilities, but I kept encountering a limitation: orthotic effectiveness was being restricted by stiffness in various joints in patients’ feet.
The orthotic could only “nudge” muscle and joint movement. If the joint couldn’t move, the effect was limited. I needed additional tools.
I learned acupuncture to provide pain relief, whilst orthotic prescriptions took time to modify tissue stress and allow healing. I also enrolled in the first Foot Mobilisation Technique training course offered to UK podiatrists (2006). This allowed me to mobilise patients’ feet to both take strain off the plantar fascia and other foot and ankle tissues, and maximise foot mobility to allow better “nudge” from the orthotic prescription.
Opening BxClinic: Patient-Focused, Not Equipment-Focused (2008)
When I opened BxClinic in Norwich in June 2008, my mission was clear: be patient-focused, not equipment-focused.
I had access to a much greater “orthotic formulary” - I started ordering and prescribing orthotics from many different labs to suit the particular needs of each patient. I also designed my own variable density orthotic, allowing me to utilise the “nudge” effect across the natural movement pathway of the foot to modulate stress on individual tissues.
For plantar fasciitis specifically, this meant I could create soft zones to cushion damaged tissue whilst providing firm, responsive zones to guide the foot’s natural function and optimise its movement pathway.
The disadvantage? These orthotics were bulky. Various orthotic materials needed to be layered over each other to obtain the desired mechanical effect. They were excellent for sports or walking shoes, but problematic for dress shoes.
Still, this approach was revolutionary compared to traditional orthotics, which were essentially a single bent piece of plastic that could only provide limitations to movement rather than a nuanced guidance “nudge” to your natural movement pathway.
Becoming a National Voice (2010s)
My work with various orthotic labs led them to ask me to act as a consultant, answering complex case queries and advising on innovations in orthotic design. Then they asked me to deliver training - biomechanics CPD and pathology courses, including extensive work on plantar fasciitis.
Over years of delivering these courses to podiatrists, physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, and other healthcare professionals, I became acutely aware of a growing disconnect: clinical theories were advancing, but many orthotic insoles lacked the capacity to deliver the desired effects.
Meanwhile, at BxClinic, I was receiving increasing referrals from other practitioners - patients with heel pain diagnosed as plantar fasciitis who had been suffering for years. On examination, many didn’t have plantar fasciitis at all, but one of many other heel pains. Often, they had multiple heel pains, as the foot had recruited other tissues to augment or support the function of the injured plantar fascia.
Although we see many children, sports people, active adults, and geriatric patients with “new” plantar fasciitis conditions, BxClinic has become the “go to” referral for other practitioners when they can’t solve heel pain.
I have lectured on plantar fasciitis to the Body Control Pilates Conference, the British Army Physiotherapy Conference, and numerous podiatry-focused conferences across the UK and Europe.
The #PodsHealHeels Campaign: Changing the Conversation (2016-Present)
That 2016 ankylosing spondyloarthropathy conference was a turning point. It became clear that podiatry was relatively invisible in the referral pathway for heel pain, despite being the academically recognised expert.
I decided to reach out to my profession about this. I ran four annual training programmes on the diagnosis and treatment of plantar fasciitis for podiatrists, linked to a national promotional campaign called #PodsHealHeels. The campaign had a dual mandate:
1. Raising public awareness of proper heel pain diagnosis and treatment
1. Raising awareness of the podiatry profession’s expertise in this area
Since the COVID pandemic, this programme has moved purely online, but it continues to educate clinicians across the UK.
As part of this campaign, I surveyed the 380+ clinicians involved in the programme about conditions they see referred to their clinics which have been diagnosed as plantar fasciitis but turn out not to be. This is where the “40+ conditions under the umbrella of plantar fasciitis” data comes from - real clinical experience across hundreds of practices.
When the Expert Becomes the Patient: My Own Plantar Fasciitis
Around 2010, I developed plantar fasciitis myself.
I was at running club when the coach took us for an off-road “boggy trail” session. We’d been told it would be a road session, so I was in the wrong type of running shoes for this terrain. As a result. I overworked my plantar fascia.
I identified the condition immediately and implemented my own treatment protocol:
- Custom orthotics to offload the injured tissue
- Reduced training load
- Gradual increase in working the plantar fascia’s tolerance to my activities
At the time, I was a Physical Training Instructor with the Army Reserve, so I still had to do boot runs and loaded marching. The custom orthotic allowed me to keep training with less pain, keeping the injured plantar fascia within its capacity and thus supporting its function as I put the troops through their paces.
After about two months, I only experienced pain when wearing the shoes I’d originally gotten the injury in. I suspect those shoes put just the wrong stress on the plantar fascia, bringing it too close to its original mechanism of injury. I avoided those shoes for a few months, then gradually reintroduced them to my training.
To speed recovery, I performed acupuncture on my own foot - an interesting experience, to say the least.
The heel pain was fully resolved in 3-4 months, and I was able to keep training throughout the injury.
This personal experience reinforced several crucial insights:
- Proper diagnosis allows for immediate, appropriate intervention
- Orthotics create the biomechanical environment for healing whilst maintaining activity
- Treatment must respect tissue capacity - you can’t just rest completely, nor can you push through pain
- Resolution timelines are realistic - 3-4 months for full recovery is normal, frustrating but not a failure.
The 3D Printing Revolution: BxSurface and Natural Movement Prescriptions
The First UK Clinic with In-Clinic 3D Printing (2020)
Just as lockdown lifted in the UK, I was approached by a supplier about testing their printer as an “in-clinic” solution. I appeared in the local press as the first clinic in the UK to have in-clinic orthotic insole manufacturing capabilities.
After working on this project for approximately 18 months, it became clear that the variable densities available via this printing method were not quantifiable. The relationship ended, and I began researching other printer options.
Finding Qwadra: Precision Meets Clinical Need (2022)
I was seeking three things:
1. Quantifiable variable densities allowing ‘zones of softness’ within the design
1. Manufacturing repeatability (an age-old issue when orthotics were handmade or even milled with bits stuck on)
1. Stable workflow that could be replicated consistently
I found Qwadra, who had just produced their Arkad system and were looking for clinicians to trial it. I was, I believe, the first clinician outside their group to use the technology.
I spent two years honing my workflow to create the quantifiable and repeatable prescription process I’d been seeking since my early days working with gait analysis technology.
This work led to an invitation to speak at an international conference in Chicago in November 2024, where I presented to owners of large multi-location clinics and orthotic manufacturing facilities across Europe and the USA. I demonstrated our workflow and clinical use of the design capabilities.
I’ve also created a workshop on plantar fasciitis for Qwadra that they use internationally as an education and sales tool, drawing on my expertise from thousands of plantar fasciitis cases treated over nearly three decades.
BxSurface: Not an Orthotic, But a Tailored Surface for you to walk on
We call our 3D-printed orthotic insoles ‘BxSurface’ because they’re not traditional orthotics (splints that limit movement). Rather, they’re a tailored surface to walk on, nudging your movement pathway to work with and restore natural function.
For plantar fasciitis specifically, we can now:
- Create soft zones to cushion the damaged tissue (the plantar fascia itself)
- Design firm, responsive zones to guide or nudge the natural function of your foot to optimise its movement pathway across the ground
- Specify exactly how supportive or cushioning each zone is, measured in Shore A rating (material stiffness ratings)
- Precisely target the load on your plantar fascia without making other areas uncomfortable
Traditional orthotics, being made of a single bent piece of plastic, can only provide limitations to movement in the targeted area. BxSurface provides nuanced guidance - firm where you need support, soft where you need cushioning, responsive where you need function.
And critically: they are not bulky. The layering problem I encountered with my earlier variable-density designs is solved. BxSurface fits comfortabley in normal shoes.
The quick turn around advantage
Perhaps one of the most significant clinical advantages of in-clinic 3D printing is the turnaround time: two weeks from assessment to delivery.
Compare this to:
- 3-6 weeks with traditional orthotic labs
- 12-16 weeks typical NHS appointment waiting times and another 15 weeks for your orthotic insoles
For plantar fasciitis treatment, this speed matters enormously. If orthotics are the answer to your heel pain, the clock starts ticking on your recovery only when you fit and start using them. (See my Blog covering this specifically.)
A 15-week wait allows an acute inflammatory condition to become more organised and therefore more time-consuming to resolve. Getting orthotics within two weeks means we can intervene whilst the condition is still in its acute or sub-acute phase, when tissue is most responsive to treatment.
The Truth About Plantar Fasciitis Treatment: Why Time Matters
One of the most important things I’ve learned over 28 years is that plantar fasciitis treatment must be matched to the stage of the condition.
Acute Plantar Fasciitis (Less Than 6 Weeks)
When plantar fasciitis is acute, it has genuine inflammatory qualities. The tissue is inflamed and ready to heal.
At this stage, relatively simple interventions can be highly effective:
- Arch rolling to loosen the structure and ease pain
- Calf stretching to increase ankle range of motion and reduce stress
- Activity modification (not complete rest - reduction by about 50%)
- Taping to reduce stress by up to 48% (Here is a link to my recommended heel pain taping video)
Sub-Acute Plantar Fasciitis (6-16 Weeks)
Around six weeks, the condition becomes more “organised.” It no longer responds to standard acute-phase treatments.
This is when orthotic intervention becomes crucial, combined with:
- Specific plantar fasciitis massage techniques
- Near-infrared light therapy (photobiomodulation) to accelerate healing
- Continued appropriate activity levels
Chronic Plantar Fasciitis (More Than 16 Weeks)
After 16 weeks, the condition often needs “jump-starting” to heal. The inflammatory response has largely resolved, but the tissue hasn’t properly remodelled.
This is when treatments like acupuncture become valuable - not for pain relief primarily, but because the mechanism of action restarts the immune response and “kick-starts” healing of the plantar fascia.
Other options at this stage include:
- Shockwave therapy (though I don’t offer this as it’s expensive for the patient and I have multiple other effective options)
- Red light therapy to speed healing rates
- Foot mobilisation technique to address joint restrictions that may be perpetuating the problem
- Custom orthotics designed specifically for chronic tissue remodelling
It’s not that any particular treatment stops working - it’s that you must select the right treatment options and pathway for the right type of heel pain at the right stage for the particular patient’s biomechanical, clinical, and lifestyle needs.
What Actually Happens in a BxClinic Plantar Fasciitis Assessment
When someone books a 90-minute diagnostic biomechanics appointment at BxClinic for heel pain, here’s what actually happens:
1. Understanding Your Story (20-25 minutes)
I need to hear your complete heel pain story:
- When did it start? What were you doing?
- Where exactly is the pain? (Can you point to it with one finger?)
- What makes it better or worse?
- How does it behave throughout the day?
- What have you already tried?
- What activities are you missing or avoiding?
- What does “being well” look like to you - what do you want to be able to do?
This history often reveals whether you actually have plantar fasciitis or one of the 40+ other heel pain conditions. After examining over 7,000 pairs of feet, I can often identify the likely diagnosis just from how you describe the pain pattern.
2. Physical Examination (25-30 minutes)
I examine the entire lower limb, not just the painful area, because foot function affects everything up the kinetic chain:
- Palpation to identify the exact pain location and involved tissues
- Joint mobility assessment from toes to lower back
- Muscle strength and length testing
- Biomechanical assessment of how joints interact during movement
- Specific tests to differentiate plantar fasciitis from other conditions
If it “sounds right” in the history AND presents “right” in the examination, we can confidently diagnose plantar fasciitis. If there’s any discrepancy, we dig deeper.
3. Gait and Movement Analysis (15-20 minutes)
We observe how you walk, and when relevant, use our advanced pressure analysis technology to understand the specific loads through your foot and the timing of these loads.
But technology serves the patient, not the other way around. I don’t rely on equipment to tell me what’s wrong - 28 years of clinical experience and the ability to visualise four-dimensional anatomy (how joints and muscles interact across multiple joints in time during movement) provide insights no machine can replicate.
4. Diagnosis and Treatment Plan Discussion (15-20 minutes)
We sit down together to discuss:
- What’s actually causing your heel pain
- Why it’s happening to you specifically
- What we need to do to resolve it
- Timeline for recovery
- What you can expect along the way
If orthotics are recommended, I explain exactly what we’re trying to achieve biomechanically and design the prescription during the appointment. You’ll receive your custom BxSurface orthotics within two weeks.
The outcome varies by individual:
- Around 60% of patients are prescribed orthotic insoles
- Of those receiving orthotics, approximately 40% will need them long-term, whilst the remainder may only need them for a few months
- Foot mobilisation may be recommended to improve joint flexibility
- Rehabilitation programmes for specific strengthening and stretching
- Acupuncture or near-infrared light therapy for appropriate cases
- Taping for immediate support and pain reduction
Sometimes I’ll recommend liaison with or referral to physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, or other specialists. I can also order diagnostic imaging (X-ray, MRI, ultrasound) if needed to confirm diagnosis.
The Results: What 28 Years of Refinement Achieve
At BxClinic, we see 92% complete resolution of properly diagnosed plantar fasciitis cases.
This isn’t “managed pain.” This isn’t “learned to live with it.” This is complete resolution - return to full function without pain.
The remaining 8% typically involves complex cases where multiple factors are at play, or cases where patient compliance with the treatment plan is inconsistent.
The timeline for resolution varies:
- Acute cases (under 6 weeks): Often significant improvement within 4-6 weeks of appropriate treatment
- Sub-acute cases (6-16 weeks): Typically 8-12 weeks for complete resolution with orthotics and appropriate interventions
- Chronic cases (over 16 weeks): May require 3-6 months, particularly if significant tissue remodelling is needed
Regarding orthotic use:
- 60% of plantar fasciitis patients are prescribed orthotics
- Of those, approximately 40% need long-term or permanent use
- 60% need orthotics temporarily (3 months to 2 years) whilst tissue heals and movement patterns normalise
The introduction of 3D-printed BxSurface orthotics hasn’t changed these percentages for those who could accommodate the orthotic device, but it has:
- Improved the number of people we can help (less bulk, more comfortable)
- Reduced time to resolution (faster access to treatment)
- Allowed more precise targeting of biomechanical interventions
Common Myths About Plantar Fasciitis I Need to Bust
After 28 years and thousands of heel pain cases, these are the misconceptions I encounter most frequently:
Myth 1: “All heel pain is plantar fasciitis”
More than 40 different conditions can cause heel pain. Proper diagnosis is essential because treatment that works for genuine plantar fasciitis may not work - or may worsen - other heel pain conditions.
Myth 2: “You just need to stretch your calf and roll your foot”
This may help acute plantar fasciitis (under 6 weeks), but chronic cases require different interventions. One-size-fits-all protocols fail because they don’t account for the stage of the condition or individual biomechanics or expected demands on your plantar facia tissue.
Myth 3: “Orthotics from the chemist, or ‘arch support shoes’ are the same as custom orthotics”
Over-the-counter insoles provide generic shape and cushioning. Custom BxSurface orthotics provide quantifiable, zone-specific support and guidance tailored to your exact foot anatomy and movement pattern. It’s the difference between reading glasses from a petrol station and prescription lenses from an optician.
Myth 4: “If orthotics haven’t worked, nothing will”
Many people have tried “orthotics” that were either (a) not actually custom-designed for their specific biomechanics, (b) prescribed for the wrong diagnosis, or (c) not addressing the right stage of tissue healing. Proper diagnosis followed by appropriately designed orthotics achieves 92% resolution at BxClinic.
Myth 5: “I should rest completely until it heals”
Complete rest often makes plantar fasciitis worse. The plantar fascia needs appropriate load to heal properly - too much load causes damage, too little causes deconditioning. The key is finding the “zone of optimal stress” where tissue can heal whilst maintaining function.
Myth 6: “Plantar fasciitis is caused by heel spurs”
Heel spurs are found on X-rays of many people who have never had heel pain. They’re generally incidental findings and the spur is not into the plantar fascia at all and therefore not the cause of plantar fasciitis. Treating the spur doesn’t resolve plantar fasciitis.
Myth 7: “Steroid injections will fix it”
Steroid injections can provide temporary pain relief by reducing inflammation in the acute phase, but they don’t address the underlying biomechanical cause. The condition often returns once the injection wears off. Repeated steroid injections can also weaken the plantar fascia and increase rupture risk. Steroid injections are good for other heel pain’s but not usually plantar fasciitis.
Myth 8: “You’ll need orthotics forever”
At BxClinic, 60% of patients prescribed orthotics for plantar fasciitis only need them temporarily (typically up to 2 years) whilst tissue heals and movement patterns normalise. Only 40% require long-term use.
Why Norwich Chooses BxClinic for Heel Pain
If you’re suffering with heel pain in Norwich, Norfolk, or the surrounding areas, you deserve accurate diagnosis and effective treatment based on nearly three decades of specialised clinical experience.
What makes BxClinic the right choice for you:
✓ 28 years of specialised experience treating heel pain, from British Army medic to international speaker on 3D orthotic technology
✓ Over 7,000 pairs of feet examined - experience that allows accurate diagnosis even in complex cases
✓ Founder of the #PodsHealHeels campaign - nationally recognised expert in plantar fasciitis and heel pain diagnosis
✓ 92% complete resolution rate for properly diagnosed plantar fasciitis cases
✓ Two-week turnaround for custom 3D-printed BxSurface orthotics (vs. 8-16 weeks elsewhere)
✓ Quantifiable, precise prescriptions using Shore A-rated variable density zones - not guesswork
✓ Comprehensive approach - orthotics, acupuncture, foot mobilisation, photobiomodulation, and rehabilitation to build a personalised treatment plan for you and your plantar heel pain, not a ‘standardised protocol’
✓ Patient-focused, not equipment-focused - 90-minute diagnostic appointments that actually listen to your story
✓ International recognition - invited to speak in Chicago to clinic owners and manufacturers across Europe and the USA
-----
Your Heel Pain Deserves Proper Diagnosis
If you’ve been suffering with heel pain for weeks, months, or even years - if you’ve tried stretches, off the shelf insoles, exercises, rest, ice, and nothing has worked - it’s time for a proper biomechanical assessment.
You might not have plantar fasciitis at all. You might have one of the 40+ other heel pain conditions that require completely different treatment approaches.
Or you might have genuine plantar fasciitis that’s been treated with generic protocols instead of individualised biomechanical intervention.
Either way, you don’t have to live with heel pain.
At BxClinic in Blofield, just outside Norwich, we’ve spent 18 years refining our approach to heel pain diagnosis and treatment. We’ve invested in cutting-edge 3D printing technology to provide orthotics that are both precisely effective and genuinely comfortable. We’ve trained hundreds of other healthcare professionals across the UK on proper plantar fasciitis diagnosis.
And most importantly, we’ve helped thousands of people in Norfolk and beyond get back to walking, running, working, and living without heel pain.
-----
Book Your Heel Pain Assessment
90-minute diagnostic biomechanics appointment
- Complete heel pain history
- Comprehensive lower limb examination
- Gait and movement analysis
- Clear diagnosis and treatment plan
- Custom BxSurface orthotic prescription if appropriate
- Delivered within two weeks
Don’t wait another week, month, or year hoping your heel pain will resolve on its own. Get the expert diagnosis and effective treatment you deserve.
BxClinic
Progress House, Plantation Park
Plantation Road, Blofield
Norwich NR13 4PL
Phone: 01603 327999
Book online: www.bxclinic.co.uk
-----
About Ian Sadler BSC (Hons) Podiatric Medicine, Royal College of Podiatry 026427, Health and Care Professional Council CH22807
Ian Sadler is the Clinical Director of BxClinic in Norwich and a nationally recognised expert in biomechanics and heel pain treatment with 28 years of clinical experience.
Professional Background:
- Former British Army Medic working with paratroopers and elite forces
- 14 years as British Army Reserve Physical Training Instructor
- NHS podiatrist specialising in biomechanics screening
- Consultant to multiple orthotic manufacturers on design and innovation
- Founder of the #PodsHealHeels national campaign
- International speaker on 3D orthotic technology (Chicago, 2024)
- Educator delivering CPD courses to podiatrists, physiotherapists, osteopaths, and chiropractors across the UK
- Developer of the BxSurface 3D-printed orthotic system
Specialisations:
- Plantar fasciitis and complex heel pain diagnosis
- Biomechanical assessment and gait analysis
- Custom 3D-printed orthotic prescription
- Foot mobilisation technique
- Acupuncture for musculoskeletal conditions
- Sports-related foot and lower limb injuries
Ian has examined over 7,000 pairs of feet and maintains a 92% complete resolution rate for properly diagnosed plantar fasciitis cases at BxClinic.