Prevalence for plantar fasciitis of neural origin in community-dwelling adults

Abstract

Introduction: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is one of the most common causes of heel pain in adults. Common causes of PF include prolonged standing, obesity, flat foot, and nerve entrapment. PF caused due to nerve entrapment is often left unnoticed when making a diagnosis or management for PF. Lateral and medial plantar nerves are the common nerves to get entrapped causing pain and tingling in the foot ultimately leading to PF. Aims: This study aimed to come up with the prevalence of PF of neural origin in community-dwelling adults. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted on fifty patients with PF attending Department of Physiotherapy, Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Pimpri, Pune, over a 6 months period. Subjects and Methods: Patients were assessed based on their symptoms and whether they meet the criteria for diagnosing the condition as PF. Assessment for classifying PF of neural origin was done using Standard Neurodynamic Testing for Plantar nerves branch of tibial nerve. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics was presented as frequency percentage. Results: The prevalence of neural origin PF among fifty patients was 54%. Forty-eight percent of them were females and 6% were males. Conclusion: This study concludes that the burden of PF of Neural Origin is more in Community Dwelling Adults yet goes undiagnosed due to the tendency of following a set battery of physical examination by physiotherapists which does not include neurodynamic tests.