Article

Foot orthoses and night splints have been used separately to treat patients with
plantar fasciitis, but were not always successful. Combined use of both orthoses
might give better outcomes. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a soft and
self-adjustable dorsiflexion night splint in combination with an accommodative
foot orthosis for patients with plantar fasciitis. Twenty-eight patients were
assigned to group A (foot orthosis only) and group B (combination of foot
orthosis and dorsiflexion night splints). A Foot Function Index (FFI)
questionnaire was used to evaluate the pain and functions of feet just before, 2
weeks after, and 8 weeks after the treatments. Results showed that subjects in
group B had significantly reduced pain scores at week 2 (p < 0.001) and week 8 (p
< 0.001). In group A, no statistical differences were noted in the pain (p =
0.15), disability (p = 0.56), activity limitation (p = 0.75), and total FFI (p =
0.35) scores for the three time periods. The application of foot orthoses with
adjustable dorsiflexion night splints was found to be more effective than the
application of foot orthoses alone in relieving foot pain in patients with
plantar fasciitis.

Langue : ANGLAIS