A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 [withdrawn from publication] included 19 studies with a total of 1626 subjects. Study quality was generally poor, and pooling of data was not possible. The outcome measured was reduction in heel pain. There was limited evidence for the effectiveness of topical corticosteroids administered by iontophoresis (WMD 3.80, 95% CI 0.76 to 6.84). There was some evidence for the effectiveness of injected corticosteroid providing temporary relief of pain. In individuals with chronic pain (> 6 months) there was limited evidence for the effectiveness of dorsiflexion night splints. There was limited evidence for the superiority of corticosteroid injections over orthotic devices.
Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by study quality (inadequate or unclear allocation concealment) and by imprecise results (limited study size for each comparison).
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