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Abstract
Objectives: Chronic plantar fasciitis is a clinical condition characterized by pain and tenderness localized to the plantar surface of the heel. Patients with plantar fasciitis have very few findings on physical examination. The aim of this study was to document the frequency of abnormalities seen in scintigraphic images from patients with chronic heel pain and a control population, and to correlate scintigraphic findings with clinical parameters.
Methods: Twenty-two patients [17 female and five male] with chronic heel pain were included in this cross-sectional study. The control group consisted of 17 [nine female, eight male] subjects with no history of heel pain who were referred for a bone scan for other nonpedal conditions. Daily standing times of each subject were recorded and body mass index of the study subjects were measured. Heel pain of the patients at rest and on weight bearing were evaluated using a 10 point visual analog scale. All patients were scanned after intravenous injection of Tc-99 m methylene diphosphonate.
Results: Bone scans of 16 of the 22 patients with heel pain showed increased uptake at the medial calcaneal tubercle. However, scan findings of the control group were normal. There were no differences between patients and controls as to age, body mass index, and daily standing time.
Conclusions: It is concluded that plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain and the bone scan is a simple and convenient method for diagnosing plantar fasciitis.