Abstract
This study investigates the incidence and severity of plantar heel spurs in recent modern historical skeletal remains in order to better understand the etiology of plantar fasciitis. The clinical literature strongly correlates plantar spurs with plantar fasciitis, but it remains rife with many ambiguities regarding the disease’s etiology. This study augments the clinical literature understanding of plantar fasciitis etiology by providing longitudinal data. The sample (unique individuals n=293, unique calcanei n=578) used is from recent modern skeletal remains housed and stored in the Hamann-Todd Human Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Using chi-square tests and non- parametric ANOVA analysis, results indicated calcaneal spurs correlate with age, sex, and body mass index in this historical American population.