Plantar heel pain (commonly known as plantar fasciitis) is one of the most common conditions affecting the foot. It is a chronic condition affecting approximately 10% of the population that can result in significant pain, disability, and reduced quality of life. There are numerous interventions used to treat plantar heel pain, and two of the more common interventions are foot orthoses (shoe insoles) and steroid injections. However, there is limited evidence on which of these two interventions is more effective. The primary aim of this project is to compare the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injections to foot orthoses (shoe insoles) for individuals with plantar heel pain, using an assessor-blinded randomised trial. Our hypothesis is that corticosteroid injections will be more effective in the short-term (0-4 weeks), while foot orthoses will be more effective in the longer term (5-12 weeks). Our secondary aims are to compare the effectiveness of corticosteroid injections to foot orthoses on: foot function; general health; plantar fascia thickness; work, sport and recreation; and fear-avoidance beliefs.

Staff: Glen Whittaker, A/Prof Karl B Landorf, Prof Hylton B Menz, Dr Shannon E Munteanu

Links: www.heelpaintrial.com

Study protocol: https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=369563