Conservative Interventions for mobile Pes Planus in Adults: a systematic review

Background. Adult pes planus (flat foot) is a common problem encountered by many health care professionals. Despite the perception that flat foot can cause pain and impair function, and the availability and widespread use of various treatments, there is no consensus on the optimal treatment strategy. Aim. To assess the effectiveness of conservative (non-surgical) interventions for pes planus in adults. Method. A systematic search of the literature was undertaken. This included: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; the CMSG Specialized Trials Register; an electronic search was conducted using MEDLINE (1960 to June 2012), EMBASE (1980 to June 2012), and CINAHL (1982 - June 2012). Specialised journals, trial reference lists and review articles were hand searched. Selection criteria: Randomised or quasi-randomised trials of treatment interventions for pes planus in adults. Trials that included specific pathologies such as plantar heel pain, metatarsal stress fractures, posterior-tibial tendon dysfunction, ankle fractures, rheumatoid foot pathologies, neuromuscular conditions and diabetic foot complications were excluded. Data collection and analysis: Two authors independently screened the search results to identify those meeting the inclusion criteria and quality assessed those included using a checklist based on the Cochrane Collaboration Assessment of Risk of Bias tool. This tool focused on risk of selection, performance, detection, attrition and reporting bias. Results. Four trials, involving 140 subjects, met the inclusion criteria for the review. All four were judged to be at high risk of bias in at least one area, and were also at unclear risk of bias in at least one other area. All scored highly in relation to attrition bias, due to the short follow up times and experimental designs used. Data was not pooled due to the high level of heterogeneity identified in the interventions assessed, participants selected and outcomes measured. The results of one study suggest that after four weeks of use orthoses may result in a significant improvement in medio lateral sway, and may result in improved, although non-significant, general foot-related quality of life (Rome 2004). One study (Redmond 2009) suggests that their effect on plantar pressure distribution in the foot may not be dependent on whether they are custom or prefabricated devices. Although this study identified significant changes in some plantar pressure variables with both custom and prefabricated devices, another (Esterman 2005) failed to find any significant effect of ¾ length prefabricated orthoses on pain, injury incidence, foot health or quality of life in a group of air force recruits. The fourth study (Jung 2009) suggests that exercising the intrinsic foot muscles may enhance the effect of orthoses. Despite these findings, since each study incurred risk of bias in at least one area no conclusions can be drawn

“They just scraped off the calluses”: a mixed methods exploration of foot care access and provision for people with rheumatoid arthritis in south-western Sydney, Australia

Background: There is little indication that foot health services in Australia are meeting modern day recommendations for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients. The overall objective of this study was to explore the current state of foot health services for patients with RA with an emphasis on identifying barriers to the receipt of appropriate foot care in South-West Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Methods: A mixed (quantitative and qualitative) approach was adopted. Indications for appropriate access to foot care were determined by comparing the foot health, disease and socio-demographic characteristics of patients with unmet foot care demands, foot care users and patients with no demands for foot care. Perceptions of provision of, and access to, foot care were explored by conducting telephone-based interviews using an interpretative phenomenology approach with thematic analysis.Results: Twenty-nine participants took part in the cross-sectional quantitative research study design, and 12 participants took part in the interpretative phenomenological approach (qualitative study). Foot care access appeared to be driven predominantly by the presence of rearfoot deformity, which was significantly worse amongst participants in the foot care user group (p = 0.02). Five main themes emerged from the qualitative data: 1) impact of disease-related foot symptoms, 2) footwear difficulties, 3) medical/rheumatology encounters, 4) foot and podiatry care access and experiences, and 5) financial hardship.Conclusions: Foot care provision does not appear to be driven by appropriate foot health characteristics such as foot pain or foot-related disability. There may be significant shortfalls in footwear and foot care access and provision in Greater Western Sydney. Several barriers to adequate foot care access and provision were identified and further efforts are required to improve access to and the quality of foot care for people who have RA. Integration of podiatry services within rheumatology centres could resolve unmet needs of people with RA by permitting rapid access to expert-led multidisciplinary foot care for people with RA

An evaluation of seasonal variations in footwear worn by adults with inflammatory arthritis: a cross-sectional observational study using a web-based survey

Background: Foot problems are common in adults with inflammatory arthritis and therapeutic footwear can be effective in managing arthritic foot problems. Accessing appropriate footwear has been identified as a major barrier, resulting in poor adherence to treatment plans involving footwear. Indeed, previous New Zealand based studies found that many people with rheumatoid arthritis and gout wore inappropriate footwear. However, these studies were conducted in a single teaching hospital during the New Zealand summer therefore the findings may not be representative of footwear styles worn elsewhere in New Zealand, or reflect the potential influence of seasonal climate changes. The aim of the study was to evaluate seasonal variations in footwear habits of people with inflammatory arthritic conditions in New Zealand. Methods: A cross-sectional study design using a web-based survey. The survey questions were designed to elicit demographic and clinical information, features of importance when choosing footwear and seasonal footwear habits, including questions related to the provision of therapeutic footwear/orthoses and footwear experiences. Results: One-hundred and ninety-seven participants responded who were predominantly women of European descent, aged between 46–65 years old, from the North Island of New Zealand. The majority of participants identified with having either rheumatoid arthritis (35%) and/or osteoarthritis (57%) and 68% reported established disease (>5 years duration). 18% of participants had been issued with therapeutic footwear. Walking and athletic shoes were the most frequently reported footwear type worn regardless of the time of year. In the summer, 42% reported wearing sandals most often. Comfort, fit and support were reported most frequently as the footwear features of greatest importance. Many participants reported difficulties with footwear (63%), getting hot feet in the summer (63%) and the need for a sandal which could accommodate a supportive insole (73%). Conclusions: Athletic and walking shoes were the most popular style of footwear reported regardless of seasonal variation. During the summer season people with inflammatory arthritis may wear sandals more frequently in order to accommodate disease-related foot deformity. Healthcare professionals and researchers should consider seasonal variation when recommending appropriate footwear, or conducting footwear studies in people with inflammatory arthritis, to reduce non-adherence to prescribed footwear