Plantar fasciitis / heel pain
Plantar fasciitis physical modalities network meta-analysis including LLLT
Li X, Zhang L, Gu S, et al. Medicine. 2018.
A network meta-analysis of plantar fasciitis interventions found LLLT reduced short-term pain versus placebo among several physical modalities.
Evidence grade
low
Effect direction
positive
Panel relevance
partially-replicable
Key findings
- The review included 19 trials with 1,676 plantar fasciitis patients.
- LLLT showed short-term VAS pain reduction compared with placebo.
- Several physical modalities were compared, so LLLT was not the only active option.
Protocol details
| Wavelengths | Not reported nm |
|---|---|
| Irradiance | Not reported mW/cm2 |
| Fluence | Not reported J/cm2 |
| Session time | Not reported minutes |
| Frequency | Varied by trial |
| Duration | Short-term and medium-term comparisons |
| Treatment area | Plantar fascia / heel |
| Device type | Low-level laser therapy among other physical modalities |
Caveats
- Network meta-analyses depend on indirect comparisons.
- Clinical treatment targeting the heel is not the same as general foot exposure from a panel.