Abstract
Objective: The primary aim of the present study was to compare the echo intensity (EI) and echovariation (EV) of the intrinsic foot muscles (IFMs) between individuals with and without plantar fasciitis (PF), using ultrasound imaging. The secondary objective was to study the intra-rater reliability of the echotexture variables. Methods: A case–control study was conducted with 64 participants, who were divided into the following two groups: A, the PF group (n = 32); B, the healthy group (n = 32). Results: The comparison between the two groups did not identify significant differences (p > 0.05) between the flexor hallucis brevis (FHB), flexor digitorum brevis (FDB), quadratus plantae (QP) and abductor hallucis brevis (AHB) variables for the EI and EV. Moreover, excellent intra-rater reliability was reported for the following ultrasound imaging EI variables: ABH (ICC = 0.951), FHB (ICC = 0.949), FDB (ICC = 0.981) and QP (ICC = 0.984). Conclusions: The muscle quality assessment using the EI and EV variables did not identify differences in the FHB, FDB, AHB and QP muscles between individuals with and without PF through USI evaluation. The reliability of all the IFM measurements was reported to be excellent.
Highlights
At present, plantar fasciitis (PF) is considered to be one of the main foot disorders, with an estimated prevalence of 7% in the general population [1], and among athletes, PF disturbance is more prevalent in runners, being present in up to 17.4% of the running population [2]
PF has been described as a degenerative soft tissue condition, related to pain, functionality disorders and stiffness alterations in the plantar fascia [3]
The comparison between the outcome measurement differences between the groups showed that the differences were not significant (p > 0.05) for the flexor hallucis brevis (FHB), flexor digitorum brevis (FDB), quadratus plantae (QP) and abductor hallucis brevis (AHB) variables for the echo intensity (EI) and EV (Table 2) (Figure 3)
Summary
Plantar fasciitis (PF) is considered to be one of the main foot disorders, with an estimated prevalence of 7% in the general population [1], and among athletes, PF disturbance is more prevalent in runners, being present in up to 17.4% of the running population [2]. Choudhary and Kunal supported the consideration that PF is an overuse injury, due to the repeated trauma etiology [1]. In this context, muscle and soft tissue inflammation episodes could be associated with one another, but their presence remains doubted and understudied [6,7]. Individuals with PF reported that they experience severe pain when they wake up or following non-activity periods (e.g., sleeping or working sitting down) [8]. This condition could develop into a chronic pathology if the symptoms persist over time. Both acute and chronic conditions have been associated with a decrease in quality of life, a lack of functionality and a decrease in sport performance in sport populations [9]
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