Effect of MFR Technique Versus Static Stretching on Pain Among Adults with Plantar Fasciitis

Background: Disorder of plantar fascia caused from overuse, excessive overload or prolonged standing time is called plantar fasciitis. Conservative treatment is a primary choice of treatment for plantar fasciitis and physiotherapist play a vital role. Interventions such as ultrasound, soft tissue massage, orthotics, taping, hot pack, cold pack, stretching and strengthening exercises are used by physiotherapists for treatment of this condition. Objectives: This study is aimed to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of myofascial release technique and static stretching of plantar fascia, on pain among adults with plantar fasciitis. Methods: All the subjects were screened as per the inclusion & exclusion criteria. After getting their written consent, a total of 42 plantar fasciitis patients with mean age of 28 years were included in the study. They were randomly allocated into two groups with n= 21 in each group. Group A was given Myofascial Release Technique whereas Group B was given Static Stretching on the affected plantar fascia. The interventions were carried out for twice a week for two weeks. Visual Analogue Scale was used as the outcome measure and it was measured pre- and post-intervention at baseline during week one and at the end of treatment at week two. Results: The study demonstrated statistically significant difference between pre-treatment and post-treatment visual analogue scale scores, in both groups: MFR (p < .0001) and Static Stretching (p < .0011). Conclusion: Both MFR as well as static stretching are effective in reducing pain in plantar fasciitis patients. KEY WORDS: Plantar Fasciitis, Static Stretching, Myofascial Release, Pain, Visual Analogue Scale.