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

Rhim HC, Kwon J, Park J, Borg-Stein J, Tenforde AS · Life · 2021 November 24

Objective

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.

Conclusions

This study is a comprehensive systemic summary of meta-analyses and systemic reviews on diverse topics such as the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of plantar fasciitis. While the majority of reviews had high level of heterogeneity and included a small number of studies pertaining to plantar fasciitis, there was some consensus on certain topics, such as BMI as a risk factor for plantar fasciitis and Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) both appearing to be safe and effective in longer-term outcomes.

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