Botulinum Toxin A Versus Steroids for the Treatment of Chronic Plantar Fasciitis
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Botulinum toxin A, cortisone, Saline.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Plantar Fasciitis. Basic parameters: 18 years — 60 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Switzerland
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Botulinum Toxin A Versus Steroids for the Treatment of Chronic Plantar Fasciitis: a Randomized Controlled Study
Overview
Plantar fasciitis is the classic and most common type of heel pain. Considering the costs for health care and the temporary disability not only for work, plantar fasciitis results in a substantial (and at least partially unnecessary) burden for the Swiss health care system and national economics. Nonoperative treatment is the mainstay of treating plantar fasciitis. However, so far no treatment has proven to be superior to others, and there is national and international lack of consensus of how to treat plantar fasciitis best. The investigators believe that the BTX-A injection in the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles is currently the most promising non-operative approach, because it is considered to treat the disease at its origin (temporary weakening of the tight triceps surae muscle) as opposed to simply alleviate the symptoms (e.g. plantar cortisone and other injections, ESWT). However, to date there is no evidence in the literature that compares the new, promising technique of BTX-A injection into the gastroc-soleus complex to a sham (saline) injection and to the gold standard steroid injection at the plantar fascia insertion site. With the intended study, this gap is going to be closed.
Detailed description
Background
Plantar fasciitis is the classic and most common type of heel pain. Extrapolating the rate of 2 million or 0.6% of the US American population being treated for plantar fasciitis every year to Switzerland, the corresponding number of patients would amount to 50'000 patients being treated for plantar fasciitis. Considering the costs for health care and the temporary disability not only for work, plantar fasciitis results in a substantial (and at least partially unnecessary) burden for the Swiss health care system and national economics.
Nonoperative treatment is the mainstay of treating plantar fasciitis. In the literature, numerous operative and nonoperative treatment approaches for plantar fasciitis have been suggested. However, so far no treatment has proven to be superior to others, and there is national and international lack of consensus of how to treat plantar fasciitis best. Numerous prescriptions for unnecessary orthoses, expensive and painful shock waves, and complications following steroid injection could be obviated, when the safe BTX-A injection demonstrates good results.
The investigators believe that the BTX-A injection in the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles is currently the most promising non-operative approach, because it is considered to treat the disease at its origin (temporary weakening of the tight triceps surae muscle) as opposed to simply alleviate the symptoms (e.g. plantar cortisone and other injections, ESWT).
The high number of level I and II studies suggests that there is need for clarification and evaluation of the efficacy of several non-operative and operative treatment approaches for the chronic plantar fasciitis. However, to date there is no evidence in the literature that compares the new, promising technique of BTX-A injection into the gastroc-soleus complex to a sham (saline) injection and to the gold standard steroid injection at the plantar fascia insertion site. With the intended study, this gap is going to be closed. Objective evaluation of the BTX-A efficacy includes the randomized allocation of patients to the BTX-A, the steroid, or the saline group, the blinded comparison to the sham (saline) injection, and finally the MRI assessment at the beginning and at the end of the followup. With the evidence resulting from this study, patients can be superiorly counseled in the future with regard to efficacy of nonoperative treatment of plantar fasciitis.
Objective
Plantar fasciitis is the classic and most common type of heel pain. Considering the costs for health care and the temporary disability not only for work, plantar fasciitis results in a substantial (and at least partially unnecessary) burden for the Swiss health care system and national economics. However, so far no treatment has proven to be superior to others, and there is national and international lack of consensus of how to treat plantar fasciitis best.
Methods
Patients are randomly allocated to three groups (1 - 3).
\- Patient group 1 - combination of physiotherapy, stretching exercises according to DiGiovanni et al and BTX-A injection into the gastroc-soleus complex: One hundred units (U) of toxin are applied to each muscle belly, and 1 application of 50 U is administered to the soleus, making a total of 250 U.
* Patient group 2 - physiotherapy, stretching exercises according to DiGiovanni combined with cortisone injection into the plantar fascia * Patient group 3 - physiotherapy, stretching exercises according to DiGiovanni and saline injection into the gastroc-soleus complex (sham control group)
Interventions
- Drug Botulinum toxin A
Researchers discovered in the 1950s that injecting overactive muscles with minute quantities of botulinum toxin type-A would result in decreased muscle activity. Botulinum toxin type-A has this effect because it prevents the vesicle where the acetylcholine is stored from binding to the membrane where the neurotransmitter can be released. Botulinum toxin type-A thus blocks the release of acetylcholine by the neuron. This will effectively weaken the muscle for a period of three to four months. In - Drug cortisone
- Drug Saline
Primary outcome measures
- Change from baseline in foot pain [Time frame: at 6 weeks, 3, 6 and 12 (24) months]
Secondary outcome measures (6)
- Change from baseline in patient health [Time frame: at 6 weeks, 3, 6 and 12 (24) months]
- Change from baseline in pain, disability and activity restriction in foot [Time frame: at 6 weeks, 3, 6 and 12 (24) months]
- General pain [Time frame: at 6 weeks, 3, 6 and 12 (24) months]
- Reduction of inflammation [Time frame: pre-intervention and at 12 months]
- Number of patients with complications [Time frame: at 6 weeks, 3, 6 and 12 (24) months]
- Change from baseline in ankle range of motion [Time frame: at 6 weeks, 3, 6 and 12 (24) months]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Clinical symptoms of a plantar fasciitis
- Plantar fasciitis in MRI
- Exclusion of differential diagnoses
- Symptoms more than 3 months
- Absolution of 3 months unsuccessful treatment
- Written informed consent
Exclusion criteria
- Active differential diagnoses
- Contraindications: pregnancy and breastfeeding, infection at injection sites, allergy against BTX-A
- Previous injections or surgery for plantar fasciitis
- Neurological diseases affecting the peripheral nervous system
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Double blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Switzerland · 2 centers
- Dep, of Orthopaedic Surgery, Inselspital, University of Berne — Bern
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kantonsspital Lucerne — Lucerne
Publications
- Brin MF, Lew MF, Adler CH, Comella CL, Factor SA, Jankovic J, O'Brien C, Murray JJ, Wallace JD, Willmer-Hulme A, Koller M. Safety and efficacy of NeuroBloc (botulinum toxin type B) in type A-resistant cervical dystonia. Neurology. 1999 Oct 22;53(7):1431-8. doi: 10.1212/wnl.53.7.1431. PMID 10534247
- Bihari K. Safety, effectiveness, and duration of effect of BOTOX after switching from Dysport for blepharospasm, cervical dystonia, and hemifacial spasm dystonia, and hemifacial spasm. Curr Med Res Opin. 2005 Mar;21(3):433-8. doi: 10.1185/030079905X36396. PMID 15811212
- Elizondo-Rodriguez J, Araujo-Lopez Y, Moreno-Gonzalez JA, Cardenas-Estrada E, Mendoza-Lemus O, Acosta-Olivo C. A comparison of botulinum toxin a and intralesional steroids for the treatment of plantar fasciitis: a randomized, double-blinded study. Foot Ankle Int. 2013 Jan;34(1):8-14. doi: 10.1177/1071100712460215. PMID 23386757
Identifiers
NCT: NCT02196155 · 32003B_152671