Efficacy of peloidotherapy in unilateral plantar fasciitis: A pilot study

Abstract

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.

Comparison of the effectiveness of peloid therapy and kinesiotaping in patients with unilateral plantar fasciitis: A prospective, randomized controlled study

“…Thermotherapeutic peloid agents are widely used for many musculoskeletal diseases and are often applied together with exercise or physical therapy. [ 32 ] Hand osteoarthritis,[ 18 ] gonarthrosis,[ 33 ] fibromyalgia syndrome,[ 34 ] chronic low back pain,[ 35 ] chronic neck pain,[ 36 ] lateral epicondylitis,[ 37 ] carpal tunnel syndrome,[ 38 ] and PF[ 10 ] are among the areas of use in treatment. Peloids may have antirheumatic and anti-inflammatory effects.…”

“…The effectiveness of peloid therapy was investigated in a prospective, observational, nonrandomized study involving 80 patients with PF. [ 10 ] In addition to the heel pad, stretching exercises (plantar fascia and Achilles tendon) were given to the control group. In the peloid group, in addition to the treatments given to the control group, a total of 10 sessions of peloid were applied, 30 min per session, at 45°C for two weeks.…”

“…Based on the literature review, considering the primary outcome of VAS pain value in this study, it was determined that a minimum of 33 patients per group should be included with an effect size of 0.3, an alpha of 0.05, and a power of 0.90. [ 9 , 10 , 12 ]…”

“…Recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) showed the effectiveness of peloids in degenerative foot diseases (hallux rigidus and PF). [ 9 , 10 ] Kinesiotaping has been increasingly used for various musculoskeletal diseases, including PF. The application of KT involves various techniques, such as muscle inhibition and facilitation, mechanical correction, lymphatic correction, functional correction, and tendon techniques.…”

Comparison of the effectiveness of peloid and paraffin treatment for symptomatic hand osteoarthritis in women: a single-blind randomized controlled study

“…Their analgesic, anti-inflammatory, chondroprotective, and immunological effects were shown to be associated with chemical and organic content (Maraver et al 2021 ). One of the most commonly used areas for treatment is musculoskeletal diseases, with positive effects on pain, function, and quality of life in many situations like knee OA, HOA, fibromyalgia syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic low back pain, plantar fasciitis, and lateral epicondylitis (Adıgüzel et al 2022 ; Kasapoğlu Aksoy et al 2017 ; Eröksüz et al 2020 ; Güneri et al 2021 ; Karaarslan et al 2021 ; Karaarslan and Ordahan 2021 ; Gül et al 2021 ).…”