PLANTAR FASİİTTE TOPUK FAT PAD ELASTİKİYETİNİN VE KALINLIĞININ ULTRASON İLE DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ

Abstract

Objective
 The aim of this study was to evaluate thickness and
 elasticity of heel fat pad in patients with unilateral
 plantar fasciitis and to investigate the effects of age,
 sex, body mass index (BMI), and functional scores on
 plantar fasciitis.
 Material and Method
 70 patients who had been suffering from unilateral
 plantar fasciitis longer than 6 months were enrolled
 in the study. The thickness and elasticity of fat pad
 were compared between the painful and healthy feet
 of the patients with ultrasound. For measurement of
 elasticity, shear wave elastography (SWE) was used.
 Comparative analysis was performed for thickness
 and elasticity variables between the painful and
 healthy feet with Mann–Whitney U and independent
 samples t-test.
 Results
 Average of age of the patients was 44±11.66. The
 average thickness of the heel fat pad was 17.9±3.1
 mm on the affected side and 18.3±3.3 mm on the
 healthy side. The mean SWE value of the painful side
 was 23.9 m/s (range 9.3-32) and was 24.7 m/s (range
 10.8-34) on the healthy side. Heel fat pad thickness
 was greater in the healthy feet than in the painful feet,
 but there was no statistical significance (p=0.448).
 The painful feet were stiffer, but the difference was
 statistically similar (p=0.347). BMI had a statistically
 significant impact on thickness of heel fat pad.
 Conclusion
 The results showed that a decrease in the heel fat pad
 thickness was a supporting finding of plantar fasciitis
 in patients with normal BMI but not in patients with
 BMI>25.