Where this summary comes from
Wang D, Lin Z, Tan G, Han X, Huang Y. Efficacy and safety of foot orthoses for improving pain and function in patients with plantar fasciitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Disability and Rehabilitation, 2026. PMID 40999841.
The paper itself — doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2025.2563763
Study design: Systematic review and meta-analysis · 8 randomised controlled trials · 391 patients · seven databases searched
What the paper asked
In plantar fasciitis — the heel pain that is worst in the morning — what do foot orthoses actually improve?
What was found
- Pain fell significantly (p = 0.0003). This is the clearest finding in the review.
- Foot function did not differ significantly (p = 0.23), and neither did walking ability (p = 0.44).
- No adverse events related to the orthoses were reported in any of the studies.
What does not follow from it
- Eight trials and 391 patients is a small base. The authors themselves call for larger, multicentre trials.
- The review pools short-term pain and function; it says nothing about how long the pain relief lasts.
- "Orthosis" is not one thing across the eight trials — prefabricated through custom-made — and the review does not say which did better.
What it means for someone here
This paper says precisely what to expect from an insole and what not to. If your heel hurts, the evidence supports one. But if someone says an insole will "fix your walking" or "restore foot function", this same review answers: neither showed a significant difference in the meta-analysis. An insole is prescribed here for measured pain, not for the shape of a foot.
Related findings
This page summarises one study. It is not treatment advice, and no programme is written for a person from a single paper.