More than two million Americans receive treatment for plantar fasciitis annually. The plantar fasciitis is a ligamentous structure that requires proper vascularization to heal. A review of the literature indicates that numerous treatment protocols have been proposed for plantar fasciitis but with varying rates of success. Researchers and clinicians agree that specific plantar fascia stretches have a significant effect in the recovery of patients diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. Additionally, it is widely accepted that an increase in circulation is pivotal to aide in tissue healing. Electrical stimulation may increase blood flow by eliciting muscular contraction. Previous research demonstrates that low-frequency electrical stimulation (LFES) of four to eight Hertz stimulates a significant amount of blood flow for the healing of soft tissue pathology. The purpose of this study will examine the efficacy of LFES in combination with non-weight bearing plantar fascia stretching exercises and prefabricated basic foot orthoses. The study hypothesized that LFES, specific plantar fascia stretching and prefabricated basic foot orthoses would decrease pain levels and improve functional activity levels in patients diagnosed with plantar fasciitis after four weeks of treatment and at a three-month follow up. Twenty-six subjects, 18 to 65 years of age and diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, participated in a true randomized clinical trial. A repeated measures design was used to assess the following functional outcome measures: the Visual Analogue Scale and the Activities of Daily Living subscale of the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure. A repeated measures two-way ANOVA was used to examine differences in pain and function. The study established significant decreases in pain level in all subjects at both four weeks and three months. All subjects also demonstrated improvement in functional activity levels after four weeks and three months. Interestingly, out of the three measures of pain, the VAS-current scores for the experimental group after four weeks of treatment significantly decreased as compared to the control group, These results indicate that LFES when used in conjunction with stretching and prefabricated orthoses may be an effective intervention to reduce pain levels in the early stages of plantar fasciitis.
