Treatment of Plantar Heel Pain in Dutch Primary Care

Plantar heel pain is a common complaint in primary care. The average Dutch GP sees about 8 new cases per year. A lot of different interventions are applied in these patients and about a third of patients receives multiple interventions. Custom made insoles are among the most applied interventions, even though evidence for their effectiveness when compared prefabricated insoles of other treatments is lacking. The thesis describes a study in which custom made insoles by a podiatrist are compared to sham insoles and usual care by the GP. The differences between the three groups were small, but statistically in favor of the usual care by the GP. Costs were also lower in the usual care group. There are signs that custom made insoles may be more effective in certain subgroups of patients. However more research to explore this further is needed.