Abstract:
Background: Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain, often affecting middle
aged individuals and leading to significant functional limitation. Ultrasound-guided
steroid injections have emerged as an effective treatment modality, offering improved
accuracy and outcomes.
Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided steroid injection in patients
with plantar fasciitis by assessing changes in pain, plantar fascia thickness, and heel
pad thickness.
Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted on 147
patients with plantar fasciitis at a tertiary care centre from March 2024 to December
2025. Patients received an ultrasound-guided injection of triamcinolone with
lignocaine. Clinical assessment included the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain,
and ultrasonographic measurement of plantar fascia and heel pad thickness at baseline,
2 weeks, and 3 months. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20,
with p<0.05 considered significant.
Results: The mean age was 43.36 ± 5.96 years, with slight male predominance
(54.4%). There was a significant reduction in plantar fascia thickness from 5.52 mm
to 4.96 mm (p<0.001) and heel pad thickness from 1.95 mm to 1.80 mm (p<0.001).
VAS scores decreased significantly from 7.99 to approximately 4 at follow-up
(p<0.001), indicating substantial pain relief. Heel pad thickness reduction showed a
significant negative correlation with pain improvement (r = -0.394, p<0.001).
Complications were minimal, with heel pad atrophy observed in 2.7% of patients.
Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided steroid injection is an effective and safe treatment for
plantar fasciitis, providing significant pain relief and structural improvement with a
low complication rate.
