Tratamiento para la fascitis plantar con calcetines biomecánicos. Resultados preliminares de un ensayo clínico aleatorio.

Abstract

Introduction: Plantar fasciitis is one of the main reasons in podiatric consultations. There are many treatments for this pathology, among which we highlight, orthopedic, physical and pharmacological treatments. In the market, biomechanical sock models has been discovered that could have a positive effect against the treatment of plantar fasciitis, but no results have yet been obtained. Therefore, the objective of this work was to verify the efficacy of the biomechanical sock in reducing pain or improving foot function people suffering from plantar fasciitis or heel pain. Patients and methods: The sample consisted of 15 participants, included in an age range between 20 and 71 years. Two random groups were held, one of 8 participants (experimental group, Podoks® socks) and another of 7 participants (control group). The previous Foot Function Index questionnaire was carried out on all participants, and after 15 days of wearing the sock, it was carried out again, noting the subsequent Foot Function Index. Results: After evaluating the results obtained, differences were found in the previous Foot Function Index, with women presenting a worse clinical state than men. After the 15-day follow-up period, a better score was found in the pain subscale of the Foot Function Index, with the Podoks® group presenting a mean of 28.6 ± 18.0 and the control group 39.4 ± 21.6 (p = 0.043). Conclusions: Biomechanical socks can be a good alternative for the treatment of plantar fasciitis, as a support to other treatments, since they improve the perceived pain after 15 days. This could be related to the early establishment of the Windlass mechanism, which causes the internal arch of the foot to be more stable, thereby reducing excessive tensile stress on the plantar fascia, plantar ligaments, intrinsic muscles, and plantar flexor musculature.