Effectiveness of Local Tenoxicam Versus Corticosteroid Injection for Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

Abstract

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of foot pain in adults. In this prospective study, the outcomes of local tenoxicam injection and corticosteroid therapy for the treatment of plantar fasciitis were compared. Patients were randomly assigned to either the tenoxicam or corticosteroid group. The tenoxicam group (n=31) was treated using a local injection of 1 mL of tenoxicam (20 mg/2 mL) and 1 mL of 2% lidocaine, whereas the steroid group (n=30) was treated with a local 1-mL injection containing 40 mg of methylprednisolone acetate and 1 mL of 2% lidocaine. Clinical evaluations, which were performed before the injection and 6 and 12 months after the injection, consisted of patient-assessed pain using a visual analog scale. In addition, patient satisfaction was measured using the Roles and Maudsley score. Comparison of pre- and posttreatment visual analog scale scores demonstrated a statistically significant difference in both groups (P<.05). Furthermore, no significant difference was found between the steroid and tenoxicam groups in terms of visual analog scale scores measured 12 months after injection (P>.05). The tenoxicam injection was not significantly more effective than the corticosteroid injection. However, both methods were effective and successful in treating patients with plantar fasciitis. Tenoxicam therapy appears to provide pain relief, but its effectiveness in the long term should be explored in additional studies.