Effectiveness of Gastrocnemius-Soleus Stretching Program as a Therapeutic Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis.

INTRODUCTION: Plantar fasciitis is a painful ailment that causes frustration to both the patient and physician. Stretching exercises targeting the plantar fascia are an excellent therapy option for plantar fasciitis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcome of a gastrocnemius-soleus stretching program versus tendo Achilles stretching exercises for the management of chronic plantar fasciitis.

METHODS: Patients aged 30-70 years of either gender with chronic plantar fasciitis were included and randomly divided into two groups. In group A, the gastrocnemius-soleus stretching program was applied, whereas in group B, the tendo Achilles stretching exercises were adopted. The pain score was determined at baseline and after eight weeks, and the change in pain score was calculated. All information was noted in the proforma and then entered and analyzed in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 21 (International Business Machines (IBM), New York, United States). An independent-samples t -test was conducted to compare the mean change in pain score in both groups. A P value of <0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS: The mean age of the patients in the gastrocnemius-soleus stretching group was 48.70 ± 9.80 years, whereas that in the tendo Achilles stretching exercises group was 48.63 ± 8.43 years. Group A included 16 (53.3%) men and 14 (46.7%) women, whereas in group B, there were 15 (50%) men and 15 (50%) women. The mean change in pain score in group A was 2.57 ± 1.01, whereas that in group B was 1.77 ± 0.57. The difference in both groups was significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Gastrocnemius-soleus stretching exercises are more effective for reducing the symptoms of plantar fasciitis in the adult population.