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Comparison of Stretching Exercises and Corticosteroid Injection in Pain Reduction of Patients with Plantar Fasciitis

Babak Siavashi, Seyyed Farid Naghshbandi and Mohammad Reza Golbakhsh

Introduction: Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. Because its cause is uncertain, there is a lot of treatment methods for it. Our study compares the results of two most common treatments known as steroid injection and plantar fascia stretching with each other regard to decrease in pain and improvement in function.

Materials and methods: 66 patients with heel pain with clinical diagnosis of plantar fasciitis which other causes of heel pain are ruled out in them are studied. One group with local steroid injection and the other group with plantar fascia stretching exercises. After 2 and 8 weeks, they are re evaluated regard to function and pain scores.

Results: There is no difference between two groups regard to sex, age, height , weight and body mass index . There was significant decrease in pain and improvement in function steroid group , but, in the 8 th week, two groups have the same results in those manners.

Discussion: It seems that because after 8 weeks of treatment with both therapeutic methods, the results were the same, it is better to use the less complicated and less expensive method (stretching) , but in cases which prompt pain relief and better function is desired, steroid injection may be better.