Effectiveness of website education for adults with plantar heel pain: a randomised controlled trial

Plantar heel pain (PHP) is a common source of pain and disability with an estimated prevalence between 3.6 and 9.6% (1, 2, 3). PHP predominantly affects middle-aged as well as older adults (1), and is estimated to contribute 8.0% of all injuries related to running (4). Evidence also suggests that up to 40% of people continue to have symptoms two years after the initial diagnosis (5). PHP has a significant negative impact on foot-specific and general health-related quality of life. Furthermore, people with PHP experience higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress than people without PHP (6). PHP also presents a financial burden to the community; in 2007, it was estimated that the cost of treatment for PHP to third party payers in the United States ranged from $US192 to 376 million (7). A range of treatment options have been found to be effective for PHP (8), however there are currently limited, readily accessible education resources capable of translating this information to patients with this condition. It is essential to address this issue to allow patients to make more informed treatment choices and optimise self-management. To develop quality, targeted and engaging education resources requires consultation with the end user, the consumer. We recently conducted and published a qualitative study (9) that investigated the lived experience and attitudes of people with heel pain. This study informed the content and approaches needed to educate people with heel pain including the development of the MyHeelPain website. The website provides multimedia information about heel pain including the characteristic features, causes, and an easy-to-follow treatment plan. It has been designed to promote self-management but can also be used alongside a consultation with a health professional. The website has gone through two cycles of usability testing, which have involved focus groups with people with PHP. The findings of the focus groups have guided us to implement several improvements to the website. A previous systematic review found computer-based programs, designed to educate people with chronic disease can improve the users' knowledge, social support, health behaviours and clinical outcomes (10). Accordingly, similar education approaches may be of benefit to people with PHP. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the MyHeelPain website for people with PHP. The corresponding references are listed in the 'Public notes' field below.