Abstract
Objectives
Plantar fasciitis, a common injury in runners, has been speculated to be associated
with weakness of the intrinsic foot muscles. A recent study reported that atrophy
of the intrinsic forefoot muscles might contribute to plantar fasciitis by destabilizing
the medial longitudinal arch. However, intrinsic foot muscle volume difference between
individuals with plantar fasciitis and healthy counterparts remains unknown. This
study examined the relationship of intrinsic foot muscle volume and incidence of plantar
fasciitis.
Design
Case-control study.
Methods
20 experienced (≥5 years) runners were recruited. Ten of them had bilateral chronic
(≥2 years) plantar fasciitis while the others were healthy characteristics-matched
runners. Intrinsic muscle volumes of the participants’ right foot were scanned with
a 1.5 T magnetic resonance system and segmented using established methods. Body-mass normalized
intrinsic foot muscle volumes were compared between runners with and without chronic
plantar fasciitis.
Results
There was significant greater rearfoot intrinsic muscle volume in healthy runners
than runners with chronic plantar fasciitis (Cohen's d = 1.13; p = 0.023). A similar trend was also observed in the total intrinsic foot muscle volume
but it did not reach a statistical significance (Cohen's d = 0.92; p = 0.056). Forefoot volume was similar between runners with and without plantar fasciitis.
Conclusions
These results suggest that atrophy of intrinsic foot muscles may be associated with
symptoms of plantar fasciitis in runners. These findings may provide useful information
in rehabilitation strategies of chronic plantar fasciitis.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 21, 2015
Accepted:
November 14,
2015
Received in revised form:
October 27,
2015
Received:
March 6,
2015
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
