Effectiveness of Shoe Rotation in Managing Plantar Fasciitis in Patients.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Physical Therapy

Background:

• Plantar fasciitis (PF) is a prevalent cause of heel pain.
• Existing conservative treatments for PF lack comparative studies on shoe rotation (ShR).

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the therapeutic effectiveness of ShR against foot orthosis (FO) and physical therapy (PT) for PF pain.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of 42 patients with heel pain.
• Patients were assigned to ShR, customized FO, or PT groups.
• Pain and function assessed using VAS, DPS, FFI, FPFS, and AOFAS-AHS at baseline, 4, and 12 weeks.

Main Results:

• All groups (ShR, FO, PT) demonstrated significant pain reduction and functional improvement over 12 weeks.
• Statistically significant decreases in VAS, DPS, FFI, and increases in FPFS, AOFAS-AHS scores observed.
• The ShR group showed a slightly greater positive effect across all measured outcomes.

Conclusions:

• ShR, FO, and PT are effective in alleviating PF pain and enhancing foot function.
• Shoe rotation emerges as a viable and convenient treatment option for managing plantar fasciitis.
• This study provides a basis for incorporating ShR into PF management strategies.