ABSTRACT
The present study aimed to compare by ultrasound imaging (USI) the tibial posterior (TP), medial gastrocnemius (MG) and soleus muscle in patients with and without plantar fasciitis (PF). A sample of 42 individuals was recruited and divided into two groups: PF and a healthy group. The thickness, cross-sectional area (CSA), echointensity and echovariation were assessed in both groups by USI. TP, soleus and MG variables did not report differences (p > 0.05) for thickness and CSA. For the echotexture parameters significant differences were found for MG echointensity (p = 0.002), MG echovariation (p = 0.002) and soleus echointensity (p = 0.012). Non-significant differences (p > 0.05) were reported for soleus echovariation, TP echointensity and TP echovariation variables. The thickness and CSA of the TP, GM and soleus muscle did not show significant differences between individuals with and without PF measured by USI. Muscle quality assessment reported an increase of the MG echointensity and echovariation, as well as a decrease of echointensity of the soleus muscle in the PF group with respect to the healthy group. Therefore, the evaluation of the structure and muscle quality of the extrinsic foot muscles may be beneficial for the diagnosis and monitoring the physical therapy interventions.
ABSTRACT
Objective: The primary aim of the present study was to compare the echo intensity (EI) and echovariation (EV) of the intrinsic foot muscles (IFMs) between individuals with and without plantar fasciitis (PF), using ultrasound imaging. The secondary objective was to study the intra-rater reliability of the echotexture variables. Methods: A case−control study was conducted with 64 participants, who were divided into the following two groups: A, the PF group (n = 32); B, the healthy group (n = 32). Results: The comparison between the two groups did not identify significant differences (p > 0.05) between the flexor hallucis brevis (FHB), flexor digitorum brevis (FDB), quadratus plantae (QP) and abductor hallucis brevis (AHB) variables for the EI and EV. Moreover, excellent intra-rater reliability was reported for the following ultrasound imaging EI variables: ABH (ICC = 0.951), FHB (ICC = 0.949), FDB (ICC = 0.981) and QP (ICC = 0.984). Conclusions: The muscle quality assessment using the EI and EV variables did not identify differences in the FHB, FDB, AHB and QP muscles between individuals with and without PF through USI evaluation. The reliability of all the IFM measurements was reported to be excellent.
ABSTRACT
Tendinopathy is labeled by many authors as a troublesome, common pathology, present in up to 30% medical care consultations involving musculoskeletal conditions. Despite the lasting interest for addressing tendon pathology, current researchers agree that even the exact definition of the term tendinopathy is unclear. Tendinopathy is currently diagnosed as a clinical hypothesis based on the patient symptoms and physical context. One of the main goals of current clinical management is to personalize treatment approaches to adapt them to the many different needs of the population. Tendons are complex structures that unite muscles and bones with two main objectives: to transmit forces and storage and release energy. Regarding the tensile properties of the tendons, several authors argued that tendons have higher tensile strength compared with muscles, however, are considered less flexible. Tendinopathy is an accepted term which is used to indicated a variety of tissue conditions that appear in injured tendons and describes a non-rupture damage in the tendon or paratendon, which is intensified with mechanical loading Even when the pathoetiology of tendinopathy is unclear, there is a wide array of treatments available to treat and manage tendinopathy. Although tendinitis usually debuts with an inflammatory response, the majority of chronic tendinopathies do not present inflammation and so the choosing of treatment should vary depending on severity, compliance, pain and duration of symptoms. The purpose of this article is to review and provide an overview about the currently research of the tendon diagnosis, management and etiology.
