Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Plantar Fascia Thickness in Asymptomatic North Indian Adults: A Cross-sectional Epidemiological Study
Purpose: Every 10th person, once in his lifetime, suffers from plantar fasciopathy. For the evaluation of plantar fasciopathy, ultrasound, being non-invasive and with very good sensitivity and specificity, has become the first line of imaging. To date, there is a paucity of data about plantar fascia...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Indian Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ijpmr.ijpmr_60_24 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850148540026716160 |
|---|---|
| author | Amit Ranjan Ravi Gaur Virinder Singh Gogia Javed Ahmad Chandan Sharma |
| author_facet | Amit Ranjan Ravi Gaur Virinder Singh Gogia Javed Ahmad Chandan Sharma |
| author_sort | Amit Ranjan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose:
Every 10th person, once in his lifetime, suffers from plantar fasciopathy. For the evaluation of plantar fasciopathy, ultrasound, being non-invasive and with very good sensitivity and specificity, has become the first line of imaging. To date, there is a paucity of data about plantar fascia thickness in the asymptomatic Indian adult population. The purpose of this prospective study was to generate normative data on plantar fascia thickness and its epidemiological variability in a statistically significant number for the asymptomatic Indian adult population.
Methods:
It was a cross-sectional epidemiological study at a tertiary care centre in northern India. The inclusion criteria included asymptomatic adults 18–65 years old and not having any pain around the heel on palpation. The exclusion criteria were acute heel trauma, any form of previous heel pain and previous surgery in the heel region. After informed consent from the subjects, the plantar fascia thicknesses were measured 0.5 cm distal to the point of calcaneal attachment through ultrasonography. SPSS software version 22 was used to conduct the statistical analyses.
Results:
Amongst 211 subjects (422 feet), fulfilling the eligibility criteria, 102 were male and 109 were female. The average thickness of plantar fascia in the population was 3.19 ± 0.61 mm; for male and female subjects, it was 3.30 ± 0.59 mm and 3.09 ± 0.53 mm, respectively; the left and right sides measured 3.20 ± 0.64 mm and 3.18 ± 0.57 mm, respectively. Males had a significantly higher mean than females (P < 0.001), whereas the means for the right and left feet were comparable (P = 0.271).
Conclusion:
The normal thickness of the plantar fascia as measured by ultrasound varies from study to study (range: 2.2–3.6 mm). In our study, we found it to be 3.19 ± 0.61 mm at 0.5 cm distal to the point of origin of the plantar fascia. A multivariate regression analysis of age, sex, height, weight and body mass index variables showed that only age was significantly linked to the thickness of the plantar fascia. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-01bb2d7e40be43659e7f41040b8343d2 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0973-2209 2949-8058 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Indian Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation |
| spelling | doaj-art-01bb2d7e40be43659e7f41040b8343d22025-08-20T02:27:13ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndian Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation0973-22092949-80582025-05-01352959910.4103/ijpmr.ijpmr_60_24Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Plantar Fascia Thickness in Asymptomatic North Indian Adults: A Cross-sectional Epidemiological StudyAmit RanjanRavi GaurVirinder Singh GogiaJaved AhmadChandan SharmaPurpose: Every 10th person, once in his lifetime, suffers from plantar fasciopathy. For the evaluation of plantar fasciopathy, ultrasound, being non-invasive and with very good sensitivity and specificity, has become the first line of imaging. To date, there is a paucity of data about plantar fascia thickness in the asymptomatic Indian adult population. The purpose of this prospective study was to generate normative data on plantar fascia thickness and its epidemiological variability in a statistically significant number for the asymptomatic Indian adult population. Methods: It was a cross-sectional epidemiological study at a tertiary care centre in northern India. The inclusion criteria included asymptomatic adults 18–65 years old and not having any pain around the heel on palpation. The exclusion criteria were acute heel trauma, any form of previous heel pain and previous surgery in the heel region. After informed consent from the subjects, the plantar fascia thicknesses were measured 0.5 cm distal to the point of calcaneal attachment through ultrasonography. SPSS software version 22 was used to conduct the statistical analyses. Results: Amongst 211 subjects (422 feet), fulfilling the eligibility criteria, 102 were male and 109 were female. The average thickness of plantar fascia in the population was 3.19 ± 0.61 mm; for male and female subjects, it was 3.30 ± 0.59 mm and 3.09 ± 0.53 mm, respectively; the left and right sides measured 3.20 ± 0.64 mm and 3.18 ± 0.57 mm, respectively. Males had a significantly higher mean than females (P < 0.001), whereas the means for the right and left feet were comparable (P = 0.271). Conclusion: The normal thickness of the plantar fascia as measured by ultrasound varies from study to study (range: 2.2–3.6 mm). In our study, we found it to be 3.19 ± 0.61 mm at 0.5 cm distal to the point of origin of the plantar fascia. A multivariate regression analysis of age, sex, height, weight and body mass index variables showed that only age was significantly linked to the thickness of the plantar fascia.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ijpmr.ijpmr_60_24demographicheel painplantar fasciitisplantar fasciopathy |
| spellingShingle | Amit Ranjan Ravi Gaur Virinder Singh Gogia Javed Ahmad Chandan Sharma Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Plantar Fascia Thickness in Asymptomatic North Indian Adults: A Cross-sectional Epidemiological Study Indian Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation demographic heel pain plantar fasciitis plantar fasciopathy |
| title | Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Plantar Fascia Thickness in Asymptomatic North Indian Adults: A Cross-sectional Epidemiological Study |
| title_full | Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Plantar Fascia Thickness in Asymptomatic North Indian Adults: A Cross-sectional Epidemiological Study |
| title_fullStr | Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Plantar Fascia Thickness in Asymptomatic North Indian Adults: A Cross-sectional Epidemiological Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Plantar Fascia Thickness in Asymptomatic North Indian Adults: A Cross-sectional Epidemiological Study |
| title_short | Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Plantar Fascia Thickness in Asymptomatic North Indian Adults: A Cross-sectional Epidemiological Study |
| title_sort | ultrasonographic evaluation of plantar fascia thickness in asymptomatic north indian adults a cross sectional epidemiological study |
| topic | demographic heel pain plantar fasciitis plantar fasciopathy |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ijpmr.ijpmr_60_24 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT amitranjan ultrasonographicevaluationofplantarfasciathicknessinasymptomaticnorthindianadultsacrosssectionalepidemiologicalstudy AT ravigaur ultrasonographicevaluationofplantarfasciathicknessinasymptomaticnorthindianadultsacrosssectionalepidemiologicalstudy AT virindersinghgogia ultrasonographicevaluationofplantarfasciathicknessinasymptomaticnorthindianadultsacrosssectionalepidemiologicalstudy AT javedahmad ultrasonographicevaluationofplantarfasciathicknessinasymptomaticnorthindianadultsacrosssectionalepidemiologicalstudy AT chandansharma ultrasonographicevaluationofplantarfasciathicknessinasymptomaticnorthindianadultsacrosssectionalepidemiologicalstudy |