SynthesisJournal of ultrasound2023
An assessment of plantar fascia with ultrasound findings in patients with plantar fasciitis: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Journal of ultrasound, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of multimodal rehabilitation program on pain, functional outcomes, and plantar fascia thickness in patients with plantar fasciitis: a randomized controlled trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Trial
- Sonographic and clinical effects of manual physical therapy for plantar fasciitis: randomized prospective controlled trial.Journal of ultrasound · 2024Trial
- Ultrasound Measurement of Plantar Fascia Thickness: A Learning Curve Analysis Between a Novice and an Expert Examiner.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A Stepwise Endovascular Approach to the Treatment of Refractory Plantar Fasciitis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Regional variations in plantar fascia elasticity and their association with pain in plantar fasciitis: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Ultrasonography of the Fasciae and Common Pathologies: The Game Changer.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Efficacy of Radiofrequency by the Topaz Technique for Chronic Plantar Fasciopathy: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Ultrasound imaging and shear wave elastography for the differential diagnosis of heel pain: a comparative cross-sectional study.Journal of ultrasound · 2024Article
- Posterior Tibial Artery Blood Flow Velocity Is Increased in Patients with Plantar Heel Pain.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Imaging Features of Plantar Vein Thrombosis: An Easily Overlooked Condition in the Differential Diagnosis of Foot Pain.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionPlantar fasciitis (PFS) is described by an intense pain over medial tubercle of calcaneus, increased with the first step after waking up, after rest and during weightbearing activity. It is the most common cause of plantar heel pain in adults with the prevalence estimated 10% of the general population. Ultrasound imaging is commonly being used to measure the PF thickness, evaluate the efficacy of different treatments and a guide therapeutic technique in patients with PFS. The objective of this study was to systematically review the studies that were previously published to evaluate the role of ultrasound in the assessment of PF in patients with PFS.
methodsA systematic search was carried out over the last 5 years from 2017 to 2022 on basis the following electronic databases: Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Springer and PubMed. The keywords that used in the searching were: ultrasound, sonography, ultrasonography, plantar fasciitis, imaging of plantar fascia, physiotherapy of plantar fasciitis, interventional treatment of plantar fasciitis, randomized controlled trial of plantar fasciitis and interventional ultrasound. The review focused on the assessment of PF in patients with PFS underwent different interventions using B-mode, shear wave elastography (SWE) and color Doppler ultrasound.
resultsDuring the search process, 1661 were recorded using the proper keywords from 2017 to 2022 in which 666 original articles were found after removing the review and duplicated articles. Of these, thirty articles met the inclusion criteria and included in this review. The articles have assessed the PF in patients with PFS under different conditions using different ultrasound modes. Twenty-six articles evaluated the effectiveness of different treatment on PF in patients with PFS using different ultrasound modes. In 8 of 26 articles, the ultrasound was used as both an assessment tool of PF and guide therapeutic technique in patients with PFS. In 18 articles, the ultrasound was used as only assessment tool to identify the PF thickness and its observation changes in patients with PFS. Four articles compared the PF thickness and its intrafascial changes between patients with PFS and healthy subjects.
conclusionThe ultrasound can be a reliable tool in assessment the effect of different interventions on PF by evaluating its thickness, echogenicity and stiffness changes in patients with PFS. There were different methods and treatments were used among the studies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.