Relationship Between Anthropometric Findings and Results of Corticosteroid Injections Treatment in Chronic Plantar Heel Pain

BACKGROUND: Chronic plantar heel pain (CPHP) is one of the common, disabling, and painful problems in the foot. Obesity is one of the known causes of CPHP. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the body mass and the treatment of chronic plantar heel pain. METHODS: In a cohort study, 80 CPHP patients, including 16 men and 64 women, who referred to orthopedic clinic from 2014 to 2016, were investigated. All the patients were initially treated by corticosteroid injections. A total of 80 studied patients were classified according to their body mass index (BMI) in 3 groups: obese, overweight, and ideal weight. Their pain severity, symptoms recurrence, and foot performance were examined. RESULTS: The severity of morning pain was 6.6 ± 1.2 in the obese patients while it was 5.6 ± 1.7 and 5.9 ± 1.7 in overweight and ideal weight patients, respectively, which had significant difference (P = 0.005). In 57% of obese patients, symptoms recurrence was observed; this rate was 12% and 5.3% in overweight and ideal-weight patients, which showed significant difference (P = 0.001). Obese people had higher relative risk of CPHP recurrence (OR = 7.52, 95% CI = 4.28 to 16.53, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: High BMI is a strong risk factor in recurrence of chronic plantar heel pain. There is a strong relationship between the BMI of the patients and the severity of pain in the morning.