A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Physical Therapy with Independent Home Stretching for Plantar Fasciitis

CATEGORY: Hindfoot, Heel pain, plantar fascia INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE: Physical therapy (PT) is an effective treatment modality for patients with plantar fasciitis (PF) however it is unclear how this compares to a home-based plantar fascia-stretching (HS) protocol. We hypothesized there would be no difference in pain scores or clinical outcomes in patients treated with formal PT compared to those who performed HS. METHODS: Fifty-seven patients with PF for at least three months were enrolled in a prospective randomized controlled trial comparing formal PT, using any and all modalities deemed clinically necessary, to a standardized HS protocol. Pain scores using a visual analog scale (VAS) and clinical patient reported outcomes including the Foot and Ankle Ability Measures (FAAM) and the Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36) were recorded and analyzed at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after treatment commenced. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in pain scores (VAS) or patient reported outcomes (FAAM and SF-36) at any follow-up time point between patient groups. At 6-months pain scores had improved in both the HS group (35% decrease, p<0.001) and PT group (26% decrease, p=0.002) relative to baseline without a significant intergroup difference (p=0.32). FAAM- activities of daily living (ADL) scores improved 13.0% (p=0.005) in the HS group and 21.3% (p<0.001) in the PT group at 6-months relative to baseline without a significant intergroup difference (p=0.84). The Physical Component Summary (PCS) Scores of the SF- 36 demonstrated improvement at the six week, three month, and one year time points in both groups. CONCLUSION: A home-based stretching therapy program demonstrated equivalent improvements in pain scores and clinical outcomes compared to formal PT in the treatment of PF. Most patients with PF who perform daily plantar fascia stretching exercises can expect substantial durable clinical improvement in their symptoms.