The Effect of Kinesio-tape and Shock Wave Therapy on Plantar Fasciitis

Overview

Foot problems are common in society. Accordingly, loss of workforce, quality of life and mental health deterioration can be observed in employees and hardship in daily life activities, balance-walking problems and fall risk increase in older adults. The presence of athletic and sedentary populations causes a large number of patients to apply to outpatient clinics with the complaint of heel pain every year. Plantar fasciitis (plantar heel pain), although multifactorial origin, obesity, overload bearing and ankle joint motion reduction factors are thought to play an active role in the emergence of discomfort. Foot orthoses are a common treatment used for plantar heel pain, but a period of several weeks is usually required between the diagnosis and transportation to the orthosis due to the production process. Therefore, short-term therapies such as supportive banding are used to alleviate the symptoms of this intermediate period. The low-dye taping technique is the most commonly used banding technique and has been found to be effective in randomized controlled trials. In addition, there is a rare study in the literature showing the efficacy of Kinesio taping method. Although both were found to be useful in the treatment of plantar fasciitis, no randomized controlled trial was studied in this patient population of the low-dye method with Kinesio taping. In the studies, the early period of banding therapy is mentioned and studies on relatively longer treatment response are still required. Our hypothesis is that low-dye Kinesio-banding treatment added to ESWT treatment for patients diagnosed with plantar fasciitis will be effective on foot functionality by reducing the pain of the patient both in the early and later period.

One of the most common musculoskeletal pathologies of the foot and pain is plantar heel pain. In the studies, it was stated that the feeling of foot pain and stiffness was between 18% and 63%. The plantar fascia is the most common cause of heel pain in adult age. Due to overuse, such as standing for a long time or running, it is assumed that it occurs as a result of micro-injury on the surface of the plantar fascia. It has been reported that 10% of the general population will be encountered throughout life. Although the exact cause is not known, middle age, obesity, excessive foot pronation, pes cavus, running, pes planus and long-term standing are among the reasons that facilitate. Patients experience severe pain in the first step they take after sitting for a long time or when they get up in the morning and start to walk and the pain is triggered by the tension of the plantar fascia and overlapping weight onto the foot. A large number of conservative methods have been used in the treatment of plantar fasciitis. Anti-inflammatory agents (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid injections), physical therapy modalities (iontophoresis, ultrasound, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, electrical stimulation, cryotherapy, and whirlpool), manual therapy, stretching therapy and external support (orthosis and banding) treatment most of these methods. Orthosis and taping aim to correct poor biomechanics in the foot while most of the other treatment programs are suppressing symptoms. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), which is another treatment modality that is used effectively in treatment, is currently preferred in delayed and nonunion fractures, calcified tendinitis of the shoulder, lateral epicondylitis, plantar fasciitis, patellar tendinitis, and calcaneal spur. In a recent prospective study, ESWT treatment was not superior to Kinesio-taping, and both treatments were found to be similar in both pain reduction and increased functionality.