Background: Heel discomfort and incapacity are symptoms of plantar fasciitis (PF), an inflammatory disorder of the thick tissue (plantar fascia) near the base of the foot.
Objective: To compare between high-power pain threshold ultrasound and myofascial release techniques in treatment of patient with chronic planter fasciitis.
Patients and Methods: Sixty subjects from both sex with age ranged from 40-60 years old were recruited. They were assigned randomly and equally in three groups. Group (A): received intrinsic muscle strengthening plantar fascia stretching. Group (B): received treatment of Group (a) and myofascial release. Group (C): received treatment of Group (a) and high-power pain threshold ultrasound. Each group received 4 weeks treatment three sessions per week.
Results: MANOVA was conducted to investigate the effect of treatment within groups, and it revealed significant decrease in mean value of pain and, significant increase in mean value of ankle dorsiflexion (p = 0.001). Post-hoc test was conducted between groups, and it revealed that compared to other groups, Group (b) had significant increase in mean value of ankle dorsiflexion (p = 0.001), while, Group (b) and Group (c) had significant decrease in mean value of pain (p = 0.001).
Conclusion: Conventional treatment, myofascial release treatment, high power pain threshold ultrasound, were effective at decreasing pain and increasing dorsiflexion ROM, with superiority of myofascial release to increase dorsiflexion ROM and of myofascial release (MFR) and high-power pain threshold ultrasound (HPPTUS) to decrease pain intensity.