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Background: Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. Conservative treatment yields a good result, but it takes long time to accomplish the goal. Physical therapy modality, i.e. Infrared ray is one of the options that maybe help for quicker recovery.
Objective: To study the results of infrared rays for the treatment of plantar fasciitis.
Material and Method: 70 patients with diagnosis of plantar fasciitis at Phramongkutklao Hospital were divided in 2 groups. First group received a conservative treatment by NSAIDS, achiles tendon stretching. The second group is like the first group, with addition of infrared rays. The pain was measured at initial and 6 months post treatment using visual analog scale (VAS).
Results: In control group, 34 from 39 feet had lower VAS at 6 months, from 8.41 to 5.28. In the studied group, 35 from 44 feet had lower VAS at 6 months, from 8.70 to 3.38. No patient had the worse symptoms since the using of infrared rays.
Conclusion: Application of infrared rays for the treatment of plantar fasciitis is effective. Infrared rays are safe and easy to use.
Keywords: Plantar fasciitis, Infrared irradiation