Efficacy of peloidotherapy in unilateral plantar fasciitis: A pilot study

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of peloidotherapy on pain, functional status, and quality of life (QoL) in patients with unilateral plantar fasciitis (PF). Patients and methods: This prospective, observational pilot study included a total of 80 patients (13 males, 67 females; mean age: 47.7 +/- 9.9 years; range, 28 to 68 years) with a diagnosis of unilateral PF between April 2018 and October 2018. The patients were divided into two equal groups. The study group (n=40) received peloidotherapy (five days per week for two weeks, total of 10 sessions) + Achilles tendon and plantar fascia stretching exercises (self-stretching for two weeks twice per day for 30 sec, 10 repeats) + heel cup treatment. The control group (n=40) received Achilles tendon and plantar fascia stretching exercises + heel cup treatment. The patients were evaluated before and after treatment using the Visual Analog Scale-pain (VAS-pain), Foot and Ankle Outcome Scores (FAOS), and Heel Tenderness Index (HTI). Results: The study group showed statistically significant improvements for all parameters after treatment compared to baseline (p<0.05). Control group showed statistically significant improvements in the VAS-pain, HTI, and FAOS-QoL subscales after treatment compared to baseline (p<0.05). The study group had a better improvement in the VAS-pain, FAOS-pain, and FAOS-work daily life subscales than the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results indicate that peloidotherapy may be effective in reducing pain and improving functional status and QoL for patients with unilateral PF.