Taping for plantar fasciitis.

Abstract

Plantar fasciitis is considered the most common cause of foot pain. Numerous non-surgical treatments have been used to relieve symptoms. Taping is one of the most widespread treatments, with several techniques utilized in clinical practice. To evaluate, based on existing literature, the efficacy of different taping techniques in relieving symptoms and dysfunction caused by plantar fasciitis. PubMed, CINAHL, PEDro, ISIWeb of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched from inception until December 2012, using a predefined search strategy. Controlled trials of any methodological quality were included, without any language restrictions. The methodological quality of interventional studies was evaluated inter alia by the PEDro score. Five randomized control trials, one cross-over study and two single group repeated measures studies met the inclusion criteria. Two studies were high quality; two were moderate quality and four were of poor methodological quality. All eight studies favored the use of different taping techniques. The most common technique was low dye taping. We found that in the short-term, taping is beneficial in treating plantar fasciitis. The best evidence exists for low dye taping and calcaneal taping. More research is needed to investigate long-term effect and effectiveness of specific taping techniques.