Objective: To explore current practices and preferences for the management of plantar fasciitis amongst orthopedic surgeons in Pakistan.
Methodology: On April 30, 2023, we conducted a descriptive cross-sectional survey using a 15-iltems questionnaire. It was emailed to all active members of the Pakistan Orthopedics Association. Overseas, non-practitioners and specialist surgeons who did not actively treat individual patients were excluded. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 21.
Results: The survey’s cumulative feedback rate was 20.48% (340/1660). Early morning pain on weight-bearing was the most common choice, and a plain radiograph was the most used imaging modality. The most often used first line therapies were NSAIDs (90.2%), exercised-based physiotherapy (69.7%), and orthosis (68.2%). If symptoms persisted, 81.2% respondents would prefer local corticosteroid injection and 89.1% thought it would be beneficial. When asked if they had ever performed surgery, 67.9% answered “no”.
Conclusion: A large portion of the respondents recommended multiple treatment options, including NSAIDs, exercise-based physiotherapy, orthoses, and corticosteroid intralesional injection. Furthermore, most orthopedic surgeons had never performed surgery, and only a small fraction of respondents found it helpful.
Key words: Plantar fasciitis, survey, questionnaire, orthopedic surgeons.
|
