Microtenotomy coblation using a radiofrequency (RF) probe is a minimally invasive procedure for treating chronic tendinopathy. It has been described for conditions including tennis elbow and rotator cuff tendinitis. There have been no studies to show the effectiveness of such a procedure for plantar fasciitis.

Fourteen patients with plantar fasciitis with failed conservative treatment underwent.

TOPAZ RF treatment for their symptoms between 2007 and 2008. The RF-based microdebridement was performed using the TOPAZ Microdebrider device (ArthroCare, Sunnyvale, CA). They were followed-up for up to six months thereafter. Pre-operative, three and six months post-operative VAS, AOFAS ankle-hindfoot and SF-36 scores were analysed.

There were six men and eight women, with an average age of 44.0 years (23–57). There were 15 feet, with six right and nine left feet. They were followed up for six months post-operatively. There was a significant improvement in mean pre-op and six-month VAS scores from 8.13 to 3.27(p=0.00), and AOFAS hindfoot scores from 34.37 to 71.33 (p=0.00). There was a significant decrease in SF-36 for bodily pain, and significant increases in physical and social function scores. Twelve out of 14 (85.7%) patients reported ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ satisfaction results at six months, and 11 out of 14 (78.6%) patients had their expectations met from the procedure at six months follow-up.

TOPAZ RF coblation is a good and effective method for the treatment of plantar fasciitis. Early results are encouraging, and we believe that the pain experienced by the patients in the follow-ups will subsequently improve.