Cochrane · systematic review · CD009348
Injected corticosteroids for treating plantar heel pain in adults
David, JA, Sankarapandian, V, Christopher, PRH, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2017 · Cochrane Library
Bone, Joint and Muscle TraumaAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
7
current version
GRADE rated
5
No studies
2
Included studies
NR
No studies 2 · 28.6%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 3 · 42.9%Low 2 · 28.6%Moderate 0 · 0%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Local steroid injection compared with placebo or no treatment control for plantar heel pain in adults
Population: Adults with plantar heel pain¹
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Heel pain: VAS 0 to 100 (higher scores = worse pain) ‐ short‐term Local steroid injection vs placebo or no treatment control | no estimate extracted | 5 studies · 350 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness |
Heel pain: VAS 0 to 100 (higher scores = worse pain) ‐ medium‐term Local steroid injection vs placebo or no treatment control | no estimate extracted | 6 studies · 382 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness |
Function: medium‐term FFI (0 to 100: higher scores = worse function) FHSQ (0 to 100: higher scores = better function Local steroid injection vs placebo or no treatment control | MD 1.78 | 1 study · 82 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness |
Serious adverse events Local steroid injection vs placebo or no treatment control | no estimate extracted | 4 studies · 219 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness |
Return to previous level of activity or work Local steroid injection vs placebo or no treatment control | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Other adverse events Short‐term Local steroid injection vs placebo or no treatment control | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Treatment failure (Heel pain persists at 8 weeks; subsequent treatment at 12 weeks; no pain relief at 6 months) Local steroid injection vs placebo or no treatment control | RR 0.35 [0.26, 0.48] | 3 studies · 363 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness |