Heel pain is common among adults. One cause of heel pain is plantar fasciopathy (PF). In most cases, a heel spur, a bony prominence that extends into the plantar fascia, is frequently present alongside PF. First-line treatments include pain-relieving drugs, home exercises, heel support peds, and physical therapy. However, some patients can't get relief from these therapies, and the pain persists beyond six months. This situation is referred to as refractory chronic PF. Local treatments applied via skin puncture such as anti-inflamtory injection and destruction of nerves carrying pain signals to brain are warranted in these cases. We aim to evaluate the efficacy of corticosteroid injection and radiofrequency ablation, along with tissue elasticity assessed by ultrasound, in patients with chronic pain (≥6 months).
The goal of this clinical trial is to determine which treatment-corticosteroid injection or radiofrequency thermal thermocoagulation-is more effective for treating plantar fasciopathy in adults. It will also learn about the effects of the treatments on the properties of the heel tissue using ultrasound. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Do corticosteroid injections and radiofrequency thermal thermocoagulation have the same efficacy on pain and functionality for both short- and long-term? Do corticosteroid injections and radiofrequency thermal thermocoagulation similarly affect heel tissue? The researchers will investigate which of the corticosteroid injection and radiofrequency thermocoagulation is more effective for