Summary
Plantar fasciitis is a clinical diagnosis and is often combined with some form of
imaging to validate the diagnosis. The clinical utility of lateral X-rays lies in
the fact that they are relatively inexpensive and may contribute to ruling out other
osseous causes of pain. In this study 106 (27 plantar fasciitis (PF) and 79 controls)
plain non-weight bearing lateral X-rays were examined by a blind examiner to document
the key features of the lateral X-ray between images of individuals with and without
plantar fasciitis. As expected calcaneal spurs were observed in both groups (85% PF
and 46% controls). However, plantar fascia thickness and fat pad abnormalities resulted
in the best group differentiation (p < 0.0001) with sensitivity of 85% and specificity of 95% for plantar fasciitis. It was
concluded that the key radiological features that differentiate the groups were not
spurs but rather changes in the soft tissues. If it is deemed necessary to confirm
the diagnosis of typical plantar fasciitis with imaging, a lateral non-weight bearing
X-ray should be the first choice investigation especially if these key features are
noted.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
March 22,
2006
Identification
Copyright
© 2006 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
