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Phys Ther Sport 2021 Apr 30;50:130-137. Epub 2021 Apr 30.

Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. Electronic address:

Objective: To evaluate the factors that influence gait by comparing lower extremity kinematics during the stance phase of the gait cycle between individuals with and without plantar fasciitis.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Setting: Motion analysis research laboratory. Read More

J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 2021 Mar;111(2)

Medial forefoot pain, or midarch pain, is usually attributed to plantar fasciitis. The authors present their findings of a previously unreported nerve entrapment of the medial proper plantar digital nerve (MPPDN). Ten fresh-frozen cadaveric specimens were analyzed for anatomical variance in the nerve distribution of the MPPDN. Read More

Front Physiol 2021 31;12:664071. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

University of Washington and Seattle Children's Sports Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States.

Ultra-endurance running (UER) has seen an important increase in participation over the last few decades. Long hours of UER can lead to excessive stress on the body, resulting in musculoskeletal injuries (MSKI). UER is not a uniform sport and events can differ considerably in distance (over 42. Read More

Musculoskeletal Care 2021 Apr 17. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Background: Studies have described general practitioner (GP) management of plantar heel pain from some countries; however, there is limited information from Australian general practice.

Objectives: To describe patient and GP characteristics, and management actions for plantar heel pain in Australian general practice.

Design: Secondary analysis of data from the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) dataset. Read More

J Sport Health Sci 2021 Apr 20. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK. Electronic address:

Running-related musculoskeletal injuries (RRMIs), especially stemming from overuse, frequently occur in runners. This study aimed to systematically review the literature and determine the incidence and prevalence proportion of RRMIs by anatomic location and specific pathology. An electronic database search with no date beginning restrictions was performed in SPORTDiscus, PubMed, and MEDLINE up to June 2020. Read More

Int J Burns Trauma 2021 15;11(1):1-8. Epub 2021 Feb 15.

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences Isfahan, Iran.

Background: Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of plantar pain which is prevalent among adults. Conservative tractions, invasive injections, shock therapies and also surgical procedures are known as beneficial methods in non-responsive cases. Here we evaluated and compared the injection of platelet rich plasma (PRP) and usage of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in pain reduction in patients with chronic plantar fasciitis. Read More

Clin Rheumatol 2021 Apr 4. Epub 2021 Apr 4.

Department of Rheumatology, Boston University/Boston Medical Center, 725 Albany Street, Boston, MA, 02118, USA.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease affecting not only the synovial joints but also multiple extra-articular sites, including ankle and foot soft tissue. Hindfoot abnormalities usually follow those in the forefoot, with up to 4 out of 10 patients experiencing talalgia during their disease course. Enthesophytosis, retrocalcaneal bursitis, and plantar fasciitis are among the most common etiologies, while heel fat pad abnormalities like subcalcaneal bursitis are rare. Read More

Pilot Feasibility Stud 2021 Apr 1;7(1):92. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Primary Care Centre Versus Arthritis, School of Medicine, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK.

Background: Plantar heel pain (PHP) is common and impacts negatively on physical function and quality of life. Initial treatment usually comprises analgesia and self-management advice (SMA), with referral to a physiotherapist or podiatrist recommended only when symptoms persist. Systematic reviews highlight limitations of existing evidence for the effectiveness of exercises and orthoses. Read More

J Foot Ankle Surg 2021 Mar 6. Epub 2021 Mar 6.

Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Ansan-si, South Korea. Electronic address:

This study aimed to compare the mean ankle dorsiflexion range between individuals with and without plantar fasciitis using passive ankle dorsiflexion with consistent pressure, and to identify the prevalence of an isolated gastrocnemius and gastrocnemius soleus complex contracture in 2 groups. 91 participants were prospectively classified into the plantar fasciitis group (45 subjects) and the control group (46 subjects). Ankle dorsiflexion was measured with the knee extended and with the knee flexed 90° using a standard orthopedic goniometer while a consistent force of 2 kg was applied under the plantar surface of the forefoot using a custom-made scale. Read More

Mil Med 2021 Mar 26. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Charlestown, MA 02138, USA.

Introduction: Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has a wide variety of clinical applications ranging from urology to orthopedics. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy is of particular interest to military medicine in the treatment of diverse musculoskeletal injuries, including recalcitrant tendinopathy. Much of the evidence for ESWT is from studies in the civilian population, including athletes. Read More

Pain Med 2021 Mar 24. Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Universitat Internacional de CAtalunya (UIC-Barcelona), Barcelona. Spain.

Objective: Dry needling is commonly used for the management of plantar fasciitis. This meta-analysis evaluated the effects of dry needling over trigger points (TrPs) associated with plantar heel pain on pain intensity and related disability or function.

Methods: Electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials where at least one group received dry needling, not acupuncture, for TrPs associated with plantar heel pain and collected outcomes on pain intensity and related-disability. Read More

Sports Health 2021 Mar 24:19417381211003619. Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California-Irvine, Orange, California.

Context: Injections are commonly used by health care practitioners to treat foot and ankle injuries in athletes despite ongoing questions regarding efficacy and safety.

Evidence Acquisition: An extensive literature review was performed through MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and EBSCOhost from database inception to 2021. Keywords searched were , , , , , , and . Read More

Clin Podiatr Med Surg 2021 Apr 13;38(2):245-259. Epub 2021 Feb 13.

Highlands-Presbyterian, St. Luke's Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency Program, 1719 East 19th Avenue, Denver, CO 80218, USA.

Plantar fasciitis has been considered an acute inflammatory disorder. However, the local histologic findings represent a more chronic, degenerative state without inflammation. Patients may be stuck in a chronic state of cyclical inflammation leading to tissue degeneration, refractory symptoms, and disability. Read More

Clin Podiatr Med Surg 2021 Apr 13;38(2):193-200. Epub 2021 Feb 13.

Podiatric Surgical Residency, John Peter Smith Hospital, Acclaim Physician Group, 1500 S. Main Street, 3rd Floor OPC Building, Fort Worth, TX 76104, USA. Electronic address:

Many randomized controlled trials demonstrate the effectiveness of conservative treatment of plantar fasciitis. Patients with acute plantar fasciitis generally respond to treatment more rapidly and more predictably than patients with chronic plantar fasciitis. If conservative treatment fails, endoscopic plantar fasciotomy offers patients a more prompt return to activity compared with open procedures. Read More

Support Care Cancer 2021 Mar 21. Epub 2021 Mar 21.

Department of Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation and Occupational Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090, Vienna, Austria.

Purpose: Focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy (fESWT) has been shown to be effective in a large number of musculoskeletal disorders. Until 2016, cancer was considered a contraindication for fESWT. The goal of this Commentary is to address the subject of fESWT in cancer patients and present a case of a successful application of fESWT in a breast cancer patient with metastatic bone disease, suffering from debilitating heel pain caused by plantar fasciitis. Read More

JBI Evid Synth 2021 Mar 17. Epub 2021 Mar 17.

School of Health Sciences, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK The Scottish Centre for Evidence-based, Multi-professional Practice: A JBI Centre of Excellence Centre for Sports & Exercise Medicine, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK Library Services, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK.

Objective: The aim of the review is to provide a map of exercise interventions and outcomes that have been reported for the treatment of any tendinopathy.

Introduction: Tendinopathy is a common condition that affects athletic and non-athletic populations. Exercise is the mainstay of conservative management of tendinopathy, and a range of different exercise types are recommended. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Mar 16;11(1):5986. Epub 2021 Mar 16.

Department of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.

Current treatments of plantar fasciitis are based on the premise that the Achilles tendon (AT) and plantar fascia (PF) are mechanically directly linked, which is an area of debate. The aim of this study was to assess the morphological relationship between the AT and PF. Nineteen cadaveric feet were x-ray imaged, serially sectioned and plastinated for digital image analyses. Read More

J Clin Orthop Trauma 2021 Feb 6;13:9-14. Epub 2020 Sep 6.

Department of Orthopaedics, Dr BSA Medical College and Hospital, Delhi, India.

Background: Plantar fasciitis, which is a common cause of heel pain, often results in significant morbidity. In cases who are not responsive to initial conservative treatment, invasive procedures, often in the form of local infiltration of steroid are required. These procedures are associated with significant complications. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 02 12;18(4). Epub 2021 Feb 12.

Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, Campus Universitario, Autov. A23 km 299, Villanueva de Gállego, 50830 Zaragoza, Spain.

Plantar heel pain is a common cause of foot pain that affects patients' quality of life and represents a significant cost for the healthcare system. Dry needling and percutaneous needle electrolysis are two minimally invasive treatments that were shown to be effective for the management of plantar heel pain. The aim of our study was to compare these two treatments in terms of health and economic consequences based on the results of a published randomized controlled trial. Read More

Musculoskeletal Care 2021 Feb 25. Epub 2021 Feb 25.

Angus Physiotherapy Department, NHS Tayside, Arbroath Infirmary, Arbroath, DD11 2AT, UK.

Background: Plantar heel pain (PHP) is considered a tendinopathy and it affects up to 10% of the population. Both heavy slow resistance training (HSRT) and extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) have shown effectiveness for treating PHP in isolation. However, more comprehensive exercise protocols and progression methods are needed due to poor long-term outcomes, and better standardisation of ESWT protocols are required. Read More

J Orthop Surg Res 2021 Feb 24;16(1):153. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

University of Alcalá, Madrid. School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Nursery and Physiotherapy, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain.

Background: This study aims to analyze the clinical outcome of a new ultrasound-guided surgery for partial plantar fasciotomy performed with a needle for treatment of plantar fasciitis.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 107 patients diagnosed with plantar fasciitis who underwent ultrasound-guided release of the plantar fascia. The series included 62 males (57. Read More

J Biol Regul Homeost Agents 2021 Jan-Feb;35(1):385-389

Orthopedics Section, Department of Medical Sciences of Basis, Neurosciences and Organs of Sense, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Study of Bari, General Hospital, Bari, Italy.

J Sport Rehabil 2021 Feb 16:1-6. Epub 2021 Feb 16.

Clinical Scenario: Plantar heel pain is a common condition frequently associated with persistent symptoms and functional limitations affecting both the athletic and nonathletic populations. Common interventions target impairments at the foot and ankle and local drivers of symptoms. If symptoms are predominantly perpetuated by alterations in central pain processing, addressing peripheral impairments alone may not be sufficient. Read More

Acta Biomed 2020 12 30;91(14-S):e2020029. Epub 2020 Dec 30.

Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, "Maggiore della Carità" Hospital, Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale (UPO), Novara, Italy..

Background And Aim: Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP) is a popular biological therapy especially used to regenerate different musculoskeletal tissues by releasing growth-factors and cytokines promoting cell proliferation, chemotaxis, differentiation, and angiogenesis. The aim was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of PRP for Lateral-Epicondylitis (LE) of the elbow and Plantar-Fasciitis (PF).

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted including patients treated with a single topic autologous-PRP-injection between 1-1-2009 and 7-18-2019 for LE or PF at our institution; patients operated for the same problem, patients refusing the study or not traceable were excluded. Read More

J Foot Ankle Surg 2021 May-Jun;60(3):471-476. Epub 2020 Sep 3.

Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY; Associate Professor of Orthopedics, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY. Electronic address:

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is a promising treatment for plantar fasciitis (PF), however, treatment results have varied due to inconsistencies among types of shock wave treatment and devices used. This retrospective chart review includes patients who underwent ESWT using the OrthoGold 100™ shock wave device (MTS, Konstanz, Germany) for PF between January, 2013 and September, 2018. There were 108 patients (119 heels) identified, with a mean age of 51. Read More

J Family Med Prim Care 2020 Nov 30;9(11):5597-5600. Epub 2020 Nov 30.

Department of Family Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Context: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common diseases worldwide. Patients with DM are prone to develop multiple musculoskeletal (MSK) manifestations, which may lead to disability and an impact on patients' quality of life. These manifestations include but not limited to, adhesive capsulitis, shoulder hand syndrome, diabetic hand syndrome, diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, Dupuytren's contracture. Read More

Arthrosc Tech 2021 Jan 19;10(1):e15-e20. Epub 2020 Dec 19.

ICATME, Hospital Universitari Dexeus, Barcelona, Spain.

Plantar fasciitis is a common condition of heel pain with a lifetime incidence up to 10%. For this entity, conservative treatment is considered the gold standard, involving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, stretching exercises of the plantar fascia, activity modifications, ice, and insoles. When patients do not respond to these treatments, partial or total plantar fascia release has been the mainstay of treatment, with success rates of approximately 70% to 90%. Read More

Sports Health 2021 May-Jun;13(3):296-303. Epub 2021 Feb 3.

Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

Context: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is a common condition in active individuals. The lack of agreement on PF etiology makes treatment challenging and highlights the importance of understanding risk factors for preventive efforts.

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine what factors may put physically active individuals at risk of developing PF. Read More

Acta Biomed 2020 11 12;91(4):e2020191. Epub 2020 Nov 12.

Orthopaedics and Traumatology Unit, Villa Erbosa Hospital, Bologna, Italy.

Medical O3 therapy combines a mixture of oxygen (O2)-O3 and prepared through conversion of pure O2 into O3 using special medical generators. O3 has multiple mechanisms of action: antalgic, antiinflammatory, and antioxidant effects. These therapeutic effects are obtained by amelioration of tissue oxygenation, accelerating glucose usage in cellular metabolism, improving protein metabolism, increasing erythrocyte activity, inhibiting inflammatory mediators, reducing the synthesis of prostaglandins and decreasing joint oxidative stress. Read More

Strahlenther Onkol 2021 Jan 27. Epub 2021 Jan 27.

MVZ Meine Strahlentherapie Nürnberg GmbH, Weiltinger Str. 11, 90449, Nuremberg, Germany.

Purpose: To estimate the long-term effect of low-dose radiotherapy of painful plantar calcaneal spurs, and to verify possible prognostic factors.

Patients And Methods: In this retrospective unicenter study, electronic patient files of patients with painful plantar calcaneal spurs treated with low-dose radiotherapy between July 2009 and February 2020 were reviewed. The low-dose radiotherapy consisted of a total dose of 3. Read More