A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews on the Epidemiology, Evaluation, and Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis

• Published in: Life (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 11; no. 12; p. 1287
• Main Authors: Rhim, Hye Chang, Kwon, Jangwon, Park, Jewel, Borg-Stein, Joanne, Tenforde, Adam S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 24-11-2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Bias; Body mass index; Epidemiology; Fasciitis; Heterogeneity; Literature reviews; Meta-analysis; Muscle function; Pain; Plantar fasciitis; plantar fasciopathy; Plantar tissues; Population; Qualitative analysis; Reviews; Risk analysis; Risk factors; Shock waves; Systematic Review; Therapy; systematic review; plantar fasciitis; plantar fasciopathy
• ISSN: 2075-1729; 2075-1729
• DOI: 10.3390/life11121287

The number of systematic review and meta-analyses on plantar fasciitis is expanding. The purpose of this review was to provide a comprehensive summary of reviews on the topic pertaining to plantar fasciitis, identify any conflicting and inconsistent results, and propose future research direction. A qualitative review of all systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to plantar fasciitis up to February 2021 was performed using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Database. A total of 1052 articles were initially identified and 96 met the inclusion criteria. Included articles were summarized and divided into the following topics: epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment. While the majority of reviews had high level of heterogeneity and included a small number of studies, there was general consensus on certain topics, such as BMI as a risk factor for plantar fasciitis and extracorporeal shockwave therapy as an effective mode of therapy. A qualitative summary of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published on plantar fasciitis provides a single source of updated information for clinicians. Evidence on topics such as the epidemiology, exercise therapy, or cost-effectiveness of treatment options for plantar fasciitis are lacking and warrant future research.