Impact of routine footwear on foot health: A study on plantar fasciitis

BACKGROUND: Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain requiring medical attention. The clear understanding of the long-term impact routine footwear has on plantar fasciitis is essential as any slight changes in shoe selection could possibly prevent the wearer from substantial discomfort and disability. Thus this study was planned to investigate impact of routine footwear on foot health by highlighting different features of the shoes worn daily by the people having plantar fasciitis. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the orthopedics’ outpatient department of a tertiary-care hospital in Pakistan. Data was collected using non-probability convenient sampling from 101 people diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. Their routine footwear was categorized as appropriate or inappropriate on basis of heel height, sole thickness, and insole type (hard/cushioned/arched). Data were collected using a self-designed questionnaire and analysed by applying descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests. RESULTS: The majority (83.2%) of the people wear inappropriate shoes, whereas only 16.8% wear the recommended shoes, i.e., with heel height between 0.5-4 cm, thick soles, and arched or cushioned insoles. About 82.2% of plantar fasciitis patients reported wearing shoes of minimal heel height and 55.5% wore shoes with hard, non-cushioned insole without built-in arch support. Participants who wear inappropriate shoes experience more severe heel pain (P 0.013) which limits their daily activities. CONCLUSIONS: Footwear plays an important role in causing plantar fasciitis as the majority of the diagnosed cases wear inappropriate shoes with minimal heel height, thin sole, and hard insole without any built-in arch support.