Yosefa Pollack1, Anat Shashua2, Leonid Kalichman3. 1. Department of Physical Therapy, Recanati School for Community Health Professions, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel. Electronic address: yosefa.pollack@gmail.com. 2. Department of Physical Therapy, Recanati School for Community Health Professions, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel; Clalit HealthCare Services, Physical Therapy Department, Tel Aviv, Israel. Electronic address: AnatSh6@clalit.org.il. 3. Department of Physical Therapy, Recanati School for Community Health Professions, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel. Electronic address: kalichman@hotmail.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Manual therapy employed in the treatment of plantar heel pain includes joint or soft tissue mobilizations. Efficacy of these methods is still under debate. AIMS: To determine whether manual therapy, consisting of deep massage, myofascial release or joint mobilization is effective in treating plantar heel pain. METHODS: A critical review of all available studies with an emphasis on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed. PubMed, PEDro, and Google Scholar databases were searched for keywords relating to plantar heel pain, joint, and soft tissue mobilizations. There were no search limitations or language restrictions. The reference lists of all retrieved articles were searched. The PEDro score was used to assess the quality of the reviewed papers. RESULTS: A total of six relevant RCTs were found: two examined the effectiveness of joint mobilization on plantar heel pain and four the effectiveness of soft tissue techniques. Five studies showed a positive short-term effect after manual therapy treatment, mostly soft tissue mobilizations, with or without stretching exercises for patients with plantar heel pain, compared to other treatments. One study observed that adding joint mobilization to the treatment of plantar heel pain was not effective. The quality of all studies was moderate to high. CONCLUSIONS: According to reviewed moderate and high-quality RCTs, soft tissue mobilization is an effective modality for treating plantar heel pain. Outcomes of joint mobilizations are controversial. Further studies are needed to evaluate the short and long-term effect of different soft tissue mobilization techniques.
BACKGROUND: Manual therapy employed in the treatment of plantar heel pain includes joint or soft tissue mobilizations. Efficacy of these methods is still under debate. AIMS: To determine whether manual therapy, consisting of deep massage, myofascial release or joint mobilization is effective in treating plantar heel pain. METHODS: A critical review of all available studies with an emphasis on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed. PubMed, PEDro, and Google Scholar databases were searched for keywords relating to plantar heel pain, joint, and soft tissue mobilizations. There were no search limitations or language restrictions. The reference lists of all retrieved articles were searched. The PEDro score was used to assess the quality of the reviewed papers. RESULTS: A total of six relevant RCTs were found: two examined the effectiveness of joint mobilization on plantar heel pain and four the effectiveness of soft tissue techniques. Five studies showed a positive short-term effect after manual therapy treatment, mostly soft tissue mobilizations, with or without stretching exercises for patients with plantar heel pain, compared to other treatments. One study observed that adding joint mobilization to the treatment of plantar heel pain was not effective. The quality of all studies was moderate to high. CONCLUSIONS: According to reviewed moderate and high-quality RCTs, soft tissue mobilization is an effective modality for treating plantar heel pain. Outcomes of joint mobilizations are controversial. Further studies are needed to evaluate the short and long-term effect of different soft tissue mobilization techniques.
Authors: Mateusz Pawlukiewicz; Michał Kochan; Paweł Niewiadomy; Katarzyna Szuścik-Niewiadomy; Jakub Taradaj; Piotr Król; Michał T Kuszewski Journal: J Clin Med Date: 2022-08-04 Impact factor: 4.964