Does the use of orthoses improve self-reported pain and function measures in patients with plantar fasciitis? A meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To perform a meta-analysis examining the effects of foot orthoses on self-reported pain and function in patients with plantar fasciitis.


METHODS
MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, and CINAHL were searched from their inception until December 2007 using the terms "foot", "plantar fascia", "arch", "orthotic", "orthoses" and "plantar fasciitis".


METHODS
Original research studies which met these criteria were included: (1) randomised controlled trials or prospective cohort designs, (2) the patients had to be suffering from plantar fasciitis at the time of recruitment, (3) evaluated the efficacy of foot orthoses with self-reported pain and/or function, (4) means, standard deviations, and sample size of each group had to be reported.


RESULTS
We utilised the Roos, Engstrom, and Soderberg (Roos, E., Engstrom, M., & Soderberg, B. (2006). Foot orthoses for the treatment of plantar fasciitis. Foot and Ankle International, 8, 606-611) night splint condition to compare our pooled orthoses results. The meta-analysis results showed significant reductions in pain after orthotic intervention. The Roos et al.' (Roos, E., Engstrom, M., & Soderberg, B. (2006). Foot orthoses for the treatment of plantar fasciitis. Foot and Ankle International, 8, 606-611) study also showed significant reduction in pain after night splint treatment. The meta-analysis results also showed significant increases in function after orthotic use. In contrast, the Roos et al.' (Roos, E., Engstrom, M., & Soderberg, B. (2006). Foot orthoses for the treatment of plantar fasciitis. Foot and Ankle International, 8, 606-611) study did not show a significant increase in function after night splinting for 12 weeks.


CONCLUSIONS
The use of foot orthoses in patients with plantar fasciitis appears to be associated with reduced pain and increased function.
Lee
Sae Yong
SY
Exercise and Sport Injury Laboratory, Sports Medicine Program, University of Virginia, VA 22904-4407, USA. syl8x@virginia.edu
McKeon
Patrick
P
Hertel
Jay
J
D036981:Fasciitis, Plantar / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D009989:Orthotic Devices; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D010147:Pain Measurement; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012650:Self Disclosure