Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40785236›Full record

SynthesisAnnals of medicine2025

The efficacy of ultrasound for plantar fasciitis, a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Xuan Li, Jiao Yang, Shuhan Li, Liuxin Yang, Dianhuai Meng

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Annals of medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Xuan LiRehabilitation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Jiao YangRehabilitation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Shuhan LiRehabilitation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Liuxin YangRehabilitation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Dianhuai MengRehabilitation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUltrasound (US) has been widely used in the treatment of plantar fasciitis (PF); however, its therapeutic effect remains unclear.

objectiveThis meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effects of ultrasound (US) on pain intensity and foot function in patients with PF.

methodsPubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and other databases were systematically searched from inception to July 2024. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3.

resultsThirteen trials were performed. There was no difference in pain relief between US alone and no treatment, as was US plus conventional physical exercises (CPE) compared with CPE alone. In the comparison between the US plus CPE group and the other interventions plus CPE group, there was a statistically significant difference in pain intensity (MD = 0.78, 95%CI= 0.12 to 1.44,

conclusionWhether applied alone or in combination with CPE, US cannot reduce pain intensity in patients with PF. However, US in combination with CPE may improve foot function.

Indexed as

Fasciitis, PlantarUltrasonic TherapyExercise TherapyExtracorporeal Shockwave TherapyHumansPain ManagementPain MeasurementTreatment Outcomepain measurementplantar fasciitisrehabilitationSystematic review/meta-analysisultrasound

Identifiers

PMID40785236
PMCPMC12340940

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.