Acupotomy for calcaneodynia: A systematic review protocol

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Pain Management
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Calcaneodynia, or inferior heel pain, is often linked to plantar fascia injury from repetitive stress.
• Acupotomy is a common treatment for calcaneodynia, but its effectiveness lacks rigorous scientific evaluation.
• This study aims to systematically assess acupotomy's efficacy and safety for calcaneodynia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupotomy for treating calcaneodynia.
• To synthesize evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupotomy for heel pain.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across six databases up to December 2017.
• Included RCTs were analyzed using meta-analysis with Visual Analog Scale (VAS) as the primary outcome and Roles and Maudsley Score (RM) as secondary.
• Data synthesis involved calculating mean differences or standard mean differences for continuous outcomes and relative risks for dichotomous data.

Main Results:

• This systematic review will provide a high-quality synthesis of VAS and RM data.
• The analysis will assess the effectiveness and safety of acupotomy in patients with calcaneodynia.

Conclusions:

• This systematic review aims to provide robust evidence regarding acupotomy's effectiveness for calcaneodynia.
• The findings will help determine if acupotomy is a viable intervention for patients suffering from heel pain.