The Comparative Study Between Ultrasound – guided and Palpation Techniques in Local Corticosteroid Injections for the Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis

Abstract

Objective: To compare the efficacy of local corticosteroid injections between ultrasound-guide and palpation techniques for the treatment of plantar fasciitis.

Setting: Out-patient orthopaedics clinic, Samutsakhon hospital.

Design: Prospective randomized controlled study.

Material: Thirty-three patients with a clinical diagnosis of plantar fasciitis from January, 2009 to April 2011 were randomly assigned to two local corticosteroid injection groups. Sixteen patients were injected with ultrasound-guided technique and seventeen patients were injected with palpation technique.

Method: The demographic data such as age, sex, weight, height and body mass index were collected. Pain intensity (visual analog scale) and ankle-hindfoot scale were assessed before injection and at 12 weeks after injection. The recurrence of heel pain was assessed at 24 weeks after injection.

Results: There were no significant difference in demographic data (age, weight, height and body mass index) and the efficacy of local corticosteroid injections for the treatment of plantar fasciitis between two study groups. The recurrence rate of plantar fasciitis in patients of ultrasound-guided technique was significantly lower than that of the palpation technique. (p=0.007)

Conclusions: Ultrasound - guided technique is useful. It is associated with lower recurrent rate of plantar fasciitis and there were no difference in the efficacy of local corticosteroid injections between ultrasound and palpation technique for the treatment of plantar fasciitis.