Plantar heel pain in middle-aged and older adults: population prevalence, associations with health status and lifestyle factors, and frequency of healthcare use

Abstract

Background The objectives of this study were to estimate the population prevalence and distribution of plantar heel pain in mid-to-older age groups, examine associations with selected health status and lifestyle factors, and report the frequency of healthcare use. Methods Adults aged ≥50 years registered with four general practices were mailed a health survey ( n = 5109 responders). Plantar heel pain in the last month was defined by self-reported shading on a foot manikin, and was defined as disabling if at least one of the function items of the Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Index were also reported. Population prevalence estimates and associations between plantar heel pain and demographic characteristics, health status measures and lifestyle factors were estimated using multiple imputation and weighted logistic regression. Healthcare professional consultation was summarised as the 12-month period prevalence of foot pain-related consultation. Results The population prevalence of plantar heel pain was 9.6% (95% CI: 8.8, 10.5) and 7.9% (7.1, 8.7) for disabling plantar heel pain. Occurrence was slightly higher in females, comparable across age-groups, and significantly higher in those with intermediate/routine and manual occupations. Plantar heel pain was associated with physical and mental impairment, more anxiety and depression, being overweight, a low previous use of high-heeled footwear, and lower levels of physical activity and participation. The 12-month period prevalence of foot pain-related consultation with a general practitioner, physiotherapist or podiatrist/chiropodist was 43.0, 15.1 and 32.8%, respectively. Conclusions Plantar heel pain is a common, disabling symptom among adults aged 50 years and over. Observed patterns of association indicate that in addition to focused foot-specific management, primary care interventions should also target more general physical and psychological factors that could potentially act as barriers to treatment adherence and recovery. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12891-019-2718-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Lived experience and attitudes of people with plantar heel pain: a qualitative exploration

“…Plantar heel pain (PHP) is common in the community with an estimated prevalence between 3.6 and 9.6% [1][2][3][4], although there is a paucity of high-quality prevalence studies. PHP has a negative impact on healthrelated quality of life and is frequently associated with significant disability due to pain, and psychological distress [4][5][6][7]. The condition can be long-standing [8] and one study found that 1 in 5 patients took several days of sick leave due to their heel pain [9].…”

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Plantar Fasciitis Among Middle Aged Male and Female Population - A survey Based Study

“…In previous literature, it has been found that women who wear high-heeled footwear do not have the effect of plantar fasciitis (Thomas et al, 2019). This is because the higher elevation serves as off load (Yu et al, 2016).…”

“…In previous research articles, it has been said that older people at the age of above 65 years are getting more affected (Dunn, 2004). This condition called plantar fasciitis can be caused due to increased body mass index (Irving et al, 2007), anxiety and stress (Cotchett et al, 2014) and also due to prolonged standing related to the occupation (Thomas et al, 2019). In some previous literatures, plantar fasciitis is also termed as she will spur syndrome, runners share and calcaneal periostitis (Roxas, 2005).…”

Custom insoles versus sham and GP-led usual care in patients with plantar heel pain: results of the STAP-study - a randomised controlled trial

“…1 2 Plantar heel pain typically affects highly physically active people, such as running athletes, but is also common in middle-aged (40 to 60 years) women with high body mass index (BMI). [3][4][5][6] The incidence of plantar heel pain in Dutch general practice is approximately 3.8 per 1000 patientyears. 7 The clinical course of plantar heel pain is considered favourable with remission after 12 to 24 months in 60% to 80% of patients.…”