Abstract
Objective This study was aimed at comparing the plantar fasciitis treatment effect of a double air-cushioned shoe to that of physiotherapy combined with ESWT. Methods Retrospective chart review of 40 patients diagnosed with plantar fasciitis was performed. Group 1 wore a double air-cushioned shoe for 2 months, and group 2 underwent physiotherapy with ESWT once/week over a 4-week period. The foot function index (FFI) score was obtained at the initial visit, 1 month, and 2 months. Results There were 25 patients in group 1 and 15 patients in group 2. The pretreatment FFI was 62.6 for group 1 and 50 for group 2. The 1-month posttreatment FFI was 45.6 for group 1 and 35.7 for group 2. The 2-month posttreatment FFI was 35 for group 1 and 43.1 for group 2. In both groups 1 and 2, follow-up FFIs were significantly improved from the initial FFI (p < 0.05) and there were no significant differences between two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions The double air-cushioned shoe can be considered an alternative treatment option for noninvasive treatment of early-stage plantar fasciitis.
Highlights
Plantar fasciitis (PF), a degenerative-inflammatory foot disorder, is the most common cause of heel pain [1,2,3,4]
No significant difference was found in body mass index (BMI) between the physiotherapy (24.74) and shoe (24.6) groups (p > 0:05)
The foot function index (FFI) improved at 1 month and declined at 2 months in the physiotherapy group: 50.1 at 0 month, 35.7 at 1 month, and 43.1 at 2 months
Summary
Plantar fasciitis (PF), a degenerative-inflammatory foot disorder, is the most common cause of heel pain [1,2,3,4]. ESWT improves symptoms by initiating inflammatory response with secretion of growth factors or nitrous oxide and revitalizes tissues by angiogenesis [5, 6]. There is modest evidence regarding utility of foot orthosis in improving plantar fasciitis-related pain [3, 7,8,9,10,11,12]. A number of theories have been put forward to explain foot orthosis utility like fall in peak heel pressures, reduction in plantar fascia strain, and modified tissue loading [5,6,7,8,9,10]. A number of plantar fasciitis-specific foot orthoses are available, without any proven superiority of one over another [3, 7,8,9, 11]
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