Decreased shock attenuation capacity of the heel pad has been documented
as one of the predisposing factors of plantar heel pain. Heel pad taping is
frequently used by the athletes to reduce or prevent plantar heel pain through
confining the heel pad in a limited space and increasing its cushion effect.
There is no scientific evidence, however, to explore this confinement effect in
detail. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in thickness,
compression index (CI), and energy dissipation rate (EDR) of the heel pad
under the taped and un-taped conditions. Ten patients with unilateral plantar
heel pain participated in this study. Each participant performed a dynamic
loading-unloading process to the heel pad by loading the whole body weight
onto one foot and then releasing immediately. Both ultrasonographic images
and loading force were collected synchronously to analyze changes in strain
and stress of the heel pad over time. The 2 (taped vs. un-taped) 2 (affected
vs. intact foot) mixed model ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. The
results revealed that, adjusted for strain rate and BMI, heel pad thickness
increased (p