Current practices and preferences for management of plantar fasciitis: A national survey amongst orthopedic surgeons in Pakistan

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, nonpractitioners 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 weightbearing 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.