Cheung R T H, Sze L K Y, Mok N W, Ng G Y F
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
Industrial Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
J Sci Med Sport. 2016 Sep;19(9):713-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2015.11.004. Epub 2015 Nov 22.
Plantar fasciitis, a common injury in runners, has been speculated to be associated with weakness of the intrinsic foot muscles. A recent study reported that atrophy of the intrinsic forefoot muscles might contribute to plantar fasciitis by destabilizing the medial longitudinal arch. However, intrinsic foot muscle volume difference between individuals with plantar fasciitis and healthy counterparts remains unknown. This study examined the relationship of intrinsic foot muscle volume and incidence of plantar fasciitis.
Case-control study.
20 experienced (≥5 years) runners were recruited. Ten of them had bilateral chronic (≥2 years) plantar fasciitis while the others were healthy characteristics-matched runners. Intrinsic muscle volumes of the participants' right foot were scanned with a 1.5T magnetic resonance system and segmented using established methods. Body-mass normalized intrinsic foot muscle volumes were compared between runners with and without chronic plantar fasciitis.
There was significant greater rearfoot intrinsic muscle volume in healthy runners than runners with chronic plantar fasciitis (Cohen's d=1.13; p=0.023). A similar trend was also observed in the total intrinsic foot muscle volume but it did not reach a statistical significance (Cohen's d=0.92; p=0.056). Forefoot volume was similar between runners with and without plantar fasciitis.
These results suggest that atrophy of intrinsic foot muscles may be associated with symptoms of plantar fasciitis in runners. These findings may provide useful information in rehabilitation strategies of chronic plantar fasciitis.
足底筋膜炎是跑步者常见的损伤，据推测与足部内在肌力量薄弱有关。最近一项研究报告称，前足内在肌萎缩可能通过破坏内侧纵弓的稳定性而导致足底筋膜炎。然而，足底筋膜炎患者与健康对照者之间足部内在肌体积差异尚不清楚。本研究探讨了足部内在肌体积与足底筋膜炎发病率之间的关系。
病例对照研究。
招募20名有经验（≥5年）的跑步者。其中10人双侧患有慢性（≥2年）足底筋膜炎，其余为健康且特征匹配的跑步者。使用1.5T磁共振系统扫描参与者右脚的内在肌体积，并采用既定方法进行分割。比较患有和未患有慢性足底筋膜炎的跑步者之间经体重标准化后的足部内在肌体积。
健康跑步者后足内在肌体积显著大于患有慢性足底筋膜炎的跑步者（科恩d值=1.13；p=0.023）。在足部内在肌总体积上也观察到类似趋势，但未达到统计学显著性（科恩d值=0.92；p=0.056）。患有和未患有足底筋膜炎的跑步者前足体积相似。
这些结果表明，足部内在肌萎缩可能与跑步者足底筋膜炎症状有关。这些发现可能为慢性足底筋膜炎的康复策略提供有用信息。
