A plantar plate tear is a tiny tear or strain to the ligament which is under the lessor toe joints in the foot. It is almost always related to excessive use, particularly in activities that require the toes to become bent back or dorsiflexed. The pain is typically just above the area distal to the joint at the base of the foot. Because this problem is due to the toe bending to much backwards or upwards (dorsiflexing) when walking, tape is a great approach to control that motion.
The simplest way for taping a plantar plate tear is to loop some strapping about the toe to pull the toe downwards in a plantarflexed position. The ends of the tape go under the ball of the foot and by looping across the toe it will hold it plantarflexed. The concept being is that whenever we walk, and the heel raises up off the floor and the toe flexes there is less stress on the plantar plate as the toe is prevented from bending up. That way the plantar plate tear taping can really help the damage heal. This can easily require adequate time although is by and large quite effective. Other techniques may be used to assist in preventing the dorsiflexion across the joint which is hurt, for example having a more inflexible sole shoe which is not bendable since this can prevent an excessive amount of movement in the joints. Additionally, there are stiff plates which you can use as insoles to help make the footwear firmer. A foot support device that has a cavity over the sore location could also be used to get force off the sore place may also make it much more comfortable to walk on. These types of techniques are generally very useful, particularly that taping. Even so, as we still have to walk about on the foot rather than have total rest, it can take a few months with this method to obtain a good outcome. Sometimes it may not really work out that way or the problem is particularly painful. In these instances, surgery to fix the tear could possibly be recommended.
