Between October 1 and December 31, 1997 survey questionnaire #1 (here's the form that was used) was filled out 502 times (accidental duplicate entries were deleted). Between January 1, 1998 and September 31, 1998, a survey questionnaire #2 was filled out 802 times (here's the form that was used). The results of the two different designs were very consistent. Keep in mind our surveys probably select a biased group of sufferers (chronic, hard-to-cure cases) because the survey respondents are interested enough in plantar fasciitis (or heel spurs) to look it up on the internet and fill out a survey.
Out of 14 options, respondents could choose up to 3 as "helped the most" and up to 2 as "helped the least". Note that heel pads should be nearly identical to and as effective as stretching if the pads are thick enough. The discrepancy between the two (79% verses 56%) indicates the heel pads being used are not thick enough.
| Treatment | Number of Responses | % Helped | Plus or Minus for 95% Confidence Interval, 1.96 SQRT(pq/n) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arch Support | 530 | 82% | 3% |
| Stretching | 457 | 79% | 4% |
| Rest | 411 | 71% | 4% |
| Night Splints | 98 | 68% | 9% |
| Lost Weight | 105 | 67% | 9% |
| Ice | 346 | 66% | 5% |
| Massage | 231 | 65% | 6% |
| Cast | 51 | 63% | 13% |
| Tape | 217 | 62% | 6% |
| Surgery | 75 | 61% | 11% |
| Heel Pads | 404 | 56% | 5% |
| Injections | 405 | 55% | 5% |
| Pills | 366 | 51% | 5% |
| Acupuncture | 42 | 45% | 15% |
| Chiropractor | 42 | 45% | 15% |
| Ultrasound | 36 | 22% | 14% |
| Heat | 62 | 34% | 12% |
Judging from the numbers above, it appears night splints should be applied more often and injections should be tried less often.
62% were female (n=255, late question added to 1st survey). This doesn't seem significant, but if it were a little higher, 66.67% would mean there are twice as many female as male patients.
47% had injections. 25% rated the pain from the injection as "horrific", 31% rated it "pretty bad", and 44% rated it "not too bad". (n=236)
Cause of the heel pain (n=494):
24% unknown
20% running
15% walking
Aerobics, weight gain, sudden injury, and change in activity had between 4% and 10%. Basketball, volleyball, and hiking had only a few responses.
Number of doctors seen (n=493):
15% - 0
36% - 1
25% - 2
12% - 3
11% - 4 or more
It hurts when (n=469):
46% 24 hour a day
18% morning
13% standing
13% walking
3% running
16% said it hurt in the back of the heel, arch, front of foot, or other. 18% indicated entire foot or entire bottom of foot. 65% indicated bottom of heel or front bottom of heel.
Respondents who weighed 200 lbs or more (n=167) and specifically ranked "Lost Weight" (n=23) were more likely to indicate that losing weight had helped. They were also less likely to indicate that stretching helped (n=74). Those over 200 lbs did not rank arch support much different from the under-200 lbs group.
Respondents who had it for a year or more (n=236) ranked stretching (n=96) and ice (n=60) higher than the average respondent. They ranked heel pads (n=86) and pills (n=82) lower than the average respondent.
Respondents who explicity indicated the pain was in the bottom or front of the heel area (n=325) as opposed to the entire foot, back of heel, or arch, ranked surgery (n=19) and arch support (n=126) higher.
A difference in any category between those who indicated it was "painful when pressed with a finger" (62%) and the others could not be found.
Treatment from doctor: good=220, fair=334, bad=106.
Body-Mass Index (BMI) distribution (n=725):
below 17.5 (anorexic): 0%
17.5 to 21 (skinny): 7%
21 to 26 (normal): 33%
26 to 31 (overweight): 31%
31 to 36 (obese): 18%
above 36: 11%
20% of those who typed orthotics spelled it with a "d".
302 typed answers to the question "product that helped the most"
How long they had it (n=1196 responses to this particular question):
37% less than or equal to 6 months
62% less than or equal to 12 months
80% less than or equal to 24 months
89% less than or equal to 36 months
94% less than or equal to 48 months
6% greater than 48 months
The respondents to the surveys appear more likely to be chronic cases.
It was not a specific question, but it appears between 6% and 8% of those who answered the surveys had surgery.
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