A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Physical Therapy With Independent Home Stretching for Plantar Fasciitis

Although formal physical therapy (PT) is effective in treating plantar fasciitis (PF), it is unclear how this compares with home-based plantar fascia stretching (HS).Fifty-seven patients with PF were enrolled in a prospective randomized trial comparing PT with HS. Visual analog scale (VAS), Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM), and Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36) scores were analyzed at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year.At 6 months, VAS improved in both HS (35% decrease; P < 0.001) and PT (26% decrease; P = 0.002) relative to baseline. FAAM Activities of Daily Living scores improved 13.0% (P = 0.005) in HS and 21.3% (P < 0.001) in PT at 6 months relative to baseline. The SF-36 Physical Component Summary Scores demonstrated improvement at all time points in both groups. There were no notable intergroup differences in VAS, FAAM, or SF-36 at any time point.The clinical outcomes of a home stretching protocol and PT did not markedly differ for the treatment of PF.Therapeutic Level I.