Table 8.

Summary of certain important papers on the subject with their relevant findings

Study	Remarks
Biswas et al. [22]	Pain relief was significant after steroid injection (p < 0.001) and the improvement was sustained The recurrence of heel pain was significantly higher in the oral NSAIDS group (p < 0.001)
Donley et al [6]	Pain and disability mean scores improved significantly over time in both groups, although there was no statistically significant difference between the placebo and NSAID groups at 1, 2, or 6 months
Petrofsky et al. [20]	Heat and moist heat all caused a significant reduction in pain (p < 0.05) Heat at night was just as effective as cold in the morning and there was no significant difference between the two (p > 0.05)
Pfeffer [13]	Results showed that using the Bauerfeind ViscoSpot or other prefabricated insert along with stretching exercises was better than stretching alone or using a custom orthosis along with stretching The authors concluded that, when used with a stretching program, a prefabricated shoe insert is more likely to produce improvement in symptoms as part of the initial treatment of proximal plantar fasciitis than a custom polypropylene orthotic device
Di Giovanni et al. [17]	The pain subscale scores of the Foot Function Index showed significantly better results for the patients managed with the plantar fascia stretching program Analysis of the response rates to the outcome measures also revealed significant differences with respect to pain, activity limitations, and patient satisfaction, with greater improvement seen in the group managed with the plantar fascia-stretching program A program of non-weight-bearing stretching exercises specific to the plantar fascia is superior to the standard program of weight-bearing Achilles tendon-stretching exercises for the treatment of symptoms of proximal plantar fasciitis
Rompe et al. [19]	A program of manual stretching exercises specific to the plantar fascia is superior to repetitive low-energy radial shock-wave therapy for the treatment of acute symptoms of proximal plantar fasciopathy
Di Giovanni et al. [5]	At the end of 8 weeks, both groups reported significant improvement on the Foot Function Index, but those in the plantar fascia stretching group had significantly greater improvement with respect to worst pain and pain with first steps in the morning The plantar fascia stretching group also had a higher percentage of positive responses to an outcomes survey in terms of pain, activity and satisfaction After 8 weeks, patients from both groups were instructed to continue with plantar fascia stretching At 2-year follow-up, both groups continued to show improvement on the pain subscales of the FFI compared to baseline. However, no group differences were observed The study suggests that plantar fascia stretches provide better symptom relief for chronic plantar fasciitis