Comparative study on efficacy of the court-type traditional Thai massage, taping and plantar fascia stretching for heel pain relieve in plantar fasciitis patients: a randomized, controlled trial

Chronic inflammation occurring in the medial calcaneal tuberosity is the cause of Plantar Fasciitis. This study aimed to compare the efficacies of Court-Type Traditional Thai Massage (CTTM), Taping (KT), and Plantar Fascia Stretching (PS) in Plantar Fasciitis patients. The patients were randomly divided into three groups; the CTTM group received Court-Type Traditional Thai Massage for 40 minutes twice per week for 4 weeks, the KT group received Taping by Kinesio® Tex once per week for 4 weeks, and the PS group received Achilles Tendon Stretching and Plantar Fascia Stretching 30 times per day, every day for 4 weeks. The outcomes in terms of Pain Intensity (VAS), Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT), Ankle Range of Motion (A-ROM), Foot Function Index (FFI), Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM), and Quality of Life (QOL) were analyzed at week 0 (baseline), week 4 (completed intervention), and week 8 (follow-up).There were no significant differences in the patient characteristics among the three groups. However, before and after treatment, Pain Intensity at the first step in the morning (VAS-M), Foot Pain over the Past 24 Hours (VAS-24h), Ankle Dorsiflexion, PPT, FFI, and FAAM were significantly improved (p<0.001). In addition, the CTTM, KT, and PS groups showed significant increases in all age groups with the physical and Mental Health domains at week 4 and week 8. Furthermore, Ankle Plantar Flexion significantly increased in the CTTM groups but did not significantly increase in the KT and PS groups (p>0.05). In terms of comparative efficacy, the CTTM group showed significant improvements in VAS-24h, Ankle Plantar Flexion, and FFI in both the intervention (week 4) and follow-up (week 8) periods (p<0.05). Nevertheless, the VAS-M and PPT groups only showed improvement during the follow-up period (p<0.05). In contrast, Ankle Dorsiflexion was significantly increased in all three groups (p<0.001). Additionally, all three groups did not significantly enhance FAAM. The QOL, when comparing Physical Health domain scores among the three groups found that only the Bodily Pain in middle age patients (40-49 years old) showed significant differences at week 4 after treatment (p<0.05). Meanwhile, when comparing Mental Health domain scores among the three groups showed no significant differences at week 4 after treatment and week 8 follow-up in all ages (p>0.05).In conclusion, CTTM, KT, and PS could reduce heel pain and improve functional ability. In addition, CTTM had pain reduction, improved functional ability, and QOL more than the other groups. Finally, this study scientifically documented that Court-Type Traditional Thai Massage can be also effectively used as an alternative treatment for Plantar Fasciitis.