COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CORTICOSTEROID INJECTION VERSUS PERCUTANEOUS FASCIOTOMY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC PLANTAR FASCIITIS

Background: Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain in adults, often affecting individuals aged between 40 and 60 years. While most cases resolve with conservative treatment, a subset becomes chronic and requires interventional management. This study compares the functional outcomes of corticosteroid injection and percutaneous fasciotomy in chronic plantar fasciitis. A pro Methods: spective, randomized, interventional study was conducted over 18 months at K.D. Medical College, Mathura. A total of 60 patients with ultrasound-conrmed plantar fasciitis of more than six months' duration were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups: Group A (n=30) received corticosteroid injections, and Group B (n=30) underwent percutaneous fasciotomy. Functional outcomes were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score at baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months. Both groups showed Results: signicant improvement over time. However, Group A demonstrated superior outcomes in terms of pain relief and functional improvement at earlier follow-up intervals. Statistically signicant differences were observed at 2 weeks (p=0.041), 4 weeks (p=0.042), 6 weeks (p=0.005), and 3 months (p<0.001) for VAS scores. AOFAS scores also showed signicant improvement in Group A at similar time points. Conclusion: Corticosteroid injections are more effective than percutaneous fasciotomy in the short-term management of chronic plantar fasciitis. However, percutaneous fasciotomy remains a valuable alternative, especially for patients contraindicated for corticosteroid use.