Prevalence of Plantar Fasciitis Among Nurses at A Tertiary Care Centre in A Rural Area: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The plantar fascia can further encounter a form of pathological degeneration called as plantar fasciitis that is one of the most common causes of heel pain. Plantar fasciitis is a multifactorial in origin and works as a mechanical overloading reaction to multiple instances of microtrauma. Purpose: This research will rule out the prevalence of plantar fasciitis in nurses both male and female with the help of windlass test and also make us aware about the correlation of plantar fasciitis among males and females. Methodology: A simple random sampling of 100 healthy nurses, 70 female nurses and 30 male nurses from Pravara Institute, Loni was included. The participants included were between age group of 20-50 years and were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Windlass test was performed in all the recruited participants. The test was done both in non-weightbearing (NWB) and weightbearing (WB) position. If pain was reproduced, the subject then marked the location of the pain. If pain was provoked then the test was considered positive. Result: The windlass test (weight bearing and non-weight bearing) showed that out of 100 participants 21% tested positive; out of which 17% females and 4% males responded positive in the study. Conclusion: The study concluded that female nurses are more prone to develop plantar fasciitis when compared with male nurses. KEY WORDS: Plantar fascia, Plantar fasciitis, Plantar fascia thickness, Pain, Nurses, Windlass test.