Plantar fascia stiffness in runners using rearfoot strike and forefoot strike

This study aimed to use the ultrasonic shear wave elastography to investigate and compare the plantar fascia stiffness among runners using rearfoot strike and forefoot strike. The primary variable was the mean shear wave velocity of the plantar fascia. The fascia thickness and echotexture on the B-mode ultrasound images were also examined as the secondary outcomes. It was hypothesized that forefoot strikers would exhibit increased fascia thickness and hypoechoic plantar fascia than rearfoot strikers. The shear wave velocity of the plantar fascia would also reduce in forefoot strikers compared to rearfoot strikers. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the fascia thickness and fascia echotexture on the B-mode images between the groups (p > 0.05). Forefoot strikers exhibited reduced shear wave velocity in the plantar fascia compared to rearfoot strikers (p = 0.012, Cohen’s d = 0.91).