Behandlung der chronischen Plantarfasziitis mit Botulinumtoxin A - Eine offene Pilotstudie an 25 Patienten mit einem Beobachtungszeitraum über 14 Wochen

Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis With Botulinum Toxin

BACKGROUND

This study examined the effect of botulinum toxin upon plantar fasciitis through a randomized, controlled, and blinded trial.

MATERIALS

Between 2012 and 2015, 50 patients presented with plantar fasciitis. Twenty-five patients each randomly received an IncobotulinumtoxinA (IBTA) or saline injection of their affected foot. Pre- and postinjection function and pain were graded with the Foot and Ankle Ability Measures (FAAM) and visual analog scale (VAS), respectively. All 50 study patients who randomly received either placebo or IBTA presented at 6 and 12 months after injection.

RESULTS

At 6 months, the mean FAAM increased from 35.9 to 40.9 of 100, and the mean pain score decreased from 8.4 to 7.9 of 10 within the placebo group. At 6 months, the mean FAAM increased from 36.3 to 73.8 of 100, and mean pain score decreased from 7.2 to 3.6 of 10 within the IBTA group. These postinjection scores were significantly better than the placebo group ( P = .01). At 12 months after injection, the IBTA group maintained significantly better function and pain than the placebo group ( P < .05). By that time, 0 (0%) and 3 (12%) patients who received IBTA and saline, respectively, underwent surgery for recalcitrant plantar fasciitis ( P < .005).

CONCLUSION

Compared with placebo saline injection, using IBTA to treat plantar fasciitis resulted in significantly better improvement in foot function and pain. IBTA also lessened the need for operative treatment of plantar fasciitis.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

I, Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study.

Botulinum toxin type A in chronic plantar fasciitis: clinical effects one year after injection

Objective:

To determine whether the efficacy of botulinum toxin type A in chronic plantar fasciitis was maintained for more than six months after treatment.

Design:

Observational follow-up study.

Subjects:

Twenty-four patients who received botulinum toxin type A injection in a previous randomized study of chronic plantar fasciitis (active treatment group) and who presented a benefit one month after treatment.

Methods:

A visual analogue scale for pain and the Foot Health Status Questionnaire were used to re-evaluate results 12 months after the botulinum toxin injection. No further injections of botulinum toxin had been administered during the follow-up period. Patients were also asked to give a subjective assessment of treatment outcome.

Results:

At 12 months, compared with the six-month evaluation, there was a further improvement in foot pain measured using the visual analogue scale, though this did not reach significance (1.78 at 6 months versus 1.22 at 12 months; P = 0.142). However, there were significant improvements in two domains of Foot Health Status Questionnaire: foot pain (91.11 at 6 months versus 80.00 at 12 months; P = 0.001) and foot function (96.19 at 6 months versus 89.38 at 12 months; P = 0.047). There was a small, non-significant deterioration in the shoe and foot health domains. Satisfaction with the outcome was good or very good in the large majority of patients.

Conclusions:

In patients with chronic plantar fasciitis, the positive effect detected six months after treatment with botulinum toxin type A was maintained at 12 months and there was a further improvement in pain and foot function.

Randomized controlled study of the efficacy of the injection of botulinum toxin type A versus corticosteroids in chronic plantar fasciitis: results at one and six months

Objective: To determine the efficacy of botulinum toxin type A in chronic plantar fasciitis compared to the local injection of a corticosteroid plus local anaesthetic.

Methods: Patients with a clinical diagnosis of plantar fasciitis made at least six months earlier were selected to enter a randomized, single-blind study of treatment with injections of botulinum toxin type A or corticosteroid. There were 28 patients in each treatment group. Patients were evaluated at one month using the Foot Health Square Questionnaire and those with no clinical response subsequently received a second injection with the drug of the other arm of the study, creating two new treatment groups. Re-evaluation was performed at six months.

Results: One month after injection there was a clear clinical improvement in both treatment groups but it was greater in the botulinum toxin group, with a significant difference for the pain item ( P = 0.069), though not in other items. At six months, patients treated with botulinum toxin type A had continued to improve in all items, whereas the corticosteroid group lost part of the improvement achieved at one month (improvement with botulinum toxin vs. corticosteroid: pain 19.10/–6.84 ( P = 0.001), function 16.00/–8.80 ( P < 0.001), footwear 13.48/–7.95 ( P = 0.004), self-perceived foot health 25.44/–5.41 ( P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Botulinum toxin type A should be considered for the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis in view of the improvement found at one month, and particularly at six months, when this treatment clearly has better results than corticosteroid injections. Further studies with larger samples are necessary to confirm these results.

The diagnosis and treatment of heel pain: a clinical practice guideline-revision 2010

Heel pain, whether plantar or posterior, is predominantly a mechanical pathology although an array of diverse pathologies including neurologic, arthritic, traumatic, neoplastic, infectious, or vascular etiologies must be considered. This clinical practice guideline (CPG) is a revision of the original 2001 document developed by the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) heel pain committee.

Plantar fasciopathy

Plantar fasciopathy is the most common cause of plantar heel pain. Featuring pain and tenderness on the medial plantar aspect of the calcaneus, clinical diagnosis seems straightforward. The role of various management strategies should be considered in the light of the selflimiting nature of plantar fasciopathy with more than 80% of patients experiencing resolution within 12 months, regardless of management. As there are no data from high-quality, randomized, controlled trials that support the efficacy of surgical management, the most prudent approach is to employ conservative modalities first. Recently, several randomized, controlled trials proved efficacy of extracorporeal shockwave treatment after the failure of more common conservative methods. Shockwave treatment helped to avoid surgery and its associated risks such as transient swelling of the heel pad, calcaneal fracture, injury of the posterior tibial nerve or its branches, and flattening of the longitudinal arch with resultant midtarsal pain. Surgical treatment is therefore considered in only a small subset of patients with persistent, severe symptoms refractory to nonsurgical intervention for at least 6 to 12 months.