Effect of Dextrose Prolotherapy on Pain Intensity, Disability, and Plantar Fascia Thickness in Unilateral Plantar Fasciitis: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Study

Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of dextrose prolotherapy in the treatment of chronic resistant plantar fasciitis through comparison with a control group. Design In this double-blind, randomized, controlled study, the patients were divided into two groups. The prolotherapy group (n = 30) was administered 5 ml of 30% dextrose, 4 ml of saline, and 1 ml of 2% lidocaine mixture (15% dextrose solution) and the control group was given 9 ml of saline and 1 ml of 2% lidocaine mixture twice at a 3-wk interval. During the 15-wk follow-up period, pain intensity was measured using the visual analog scale during activity and at rest. The foot function index was used to measure pain and disability. The plantar fascia thickness was measured by ultrasonography. The measurements were undertaken before treatment and at posttreatment weeks 7 and 15. Results Improvements in visual analog scale during activity, at rest, foot function index (all subgroups), and plantar fascia thickness measured at the 7th and 15th weeks were significantly higher in the prolotherapy group compared with the control group (P
Source: American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation - Category: Rehabilitation Tags: Original Research Articles Source Type: research