A Comparative Study To Find Out The Effectiveness Of Myofascial Release Technique Along With Stretching Versus Myofascial Release Technique In Patients With Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis (PF) is a common cause of heel pain which occurs mostly due to weight-bearing, standing occupation, injury to the heel of foot. It is often characterized by progressive pain with weight-bearing, especially the first few steps in the morning often persisting for months. Present literatures provides management strategies for this musculoskeletal issue, where different protocols were studied for their effectiveness. Myofascial release technique, plantar fascia stretching, ultrasound therapy, etc were all proven to be effective in the management of PF, but there exists very little evidence that studied the combined effects of the different physical interventions. Therefore the main objective of the study was to determine the effects of the MFR technique in combination with stretching for patients with plantar fasciitis and to find out whether this combination of interventions proved better than MFR alone. 30 subjects participated and were randomly divided into 2 groups (n=15). Group- A (control) received Myofascial Release Technique and Group B (experimental) received Myofascial Release Technique with stretching technique. Both the groups received Ultrasound therapy as a common modality. All the subjects of both groups were assessed by the Visual Analog Scale and Foot Function Index of ankle joints before and after receiving treatment. The data was analyzed statistically by using paired t-test and independent t-test. In the comparison of both groups, it was found out that the mean values of VAS (t= 4.25) and FFI (t= 4.53) of the experimental group (Group B) was highly significant (p=0.00) which concluded that Myofascial Release Technique with stretching technique is more effective in Plantar fasciitis management than only Myofascial Release Technique. From this study, conclusions could be made that in the management of Plantar fasciitis the Myofascial Release Technique with stretching technique was more precise and beneficial than only MFR technique in relieving pain and increasing functional ability.