Percutaneous release of plantar fasciitis

Abstract

Background and aim Plantar fasciitis (PF) is reportedly the most common cause of pain in the inferior heel. It affects sedentary and athletic populations. Obesity and prolonged standing are risk factors for it. Diagnosis is primarily based on history and physical examination. PF is thought to be caused by biomechanical overuse from prolonged standing or running, thus creating microtears at the calcaneal enthesis. Patients and methods This was a single-center, prospective, observational, case series study that involved 20 patients with chronic PF. All patients were treated by percutaneous plantar fasciotomy, with a follow-up duration of 6 months. Results In our study, there were 20 patients (20 feet) in whom there was a significant change in American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Scale from 44.75±8.61 before the operation to 90.45±11.69 in the first follow-up visit (2 months after operation) and to 90.9±13.35 in the second visit (6 months after the operation) and a significant change in visual analog scale from 6.8±1.06 before the operation to 1.45±1.96 in the first follow-up visit and to 1.7±2.54 in the second follow-up visit. Regarding postoperative patient satisfaction levels, 60% of patients were very satisfied and 15% were satisfied, whereas 25% were not satisfied. All patients in this study returned to their full activity at an average of 3.85±1.09 weeks. Conclusion The percutaneous release of plantar fascia was effective in the treatment of PF.