Plantar fasciitis is thought to be the most common cause of foot pain. Numerous non-surgical treatments have been used to alleviate symptoms. Taping is one of the most widespread treatments, with several techniques utilized in clinical practice. This study aimed to evaluate, based on existing literature, the efficacy of different taping techniques in relieving symptoms and dysfunction caused by plantar fasciitis. PubMed, CINAHL, PEDro, ISI Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched from inception until December 2012, using a predefined search strategy. Controlled trials of any methodological quality were included, without any language restrictions. The methodological quality of interventional studies was evaluated inter alia by the PEDro score. Five randomized control trials, one cross-over study and two single group repeated measures studies met the inclusion criteria. Two studies were high quality; two were moderate quality and four were of poor methodological quality. All eight studies favored the use of different taping techniques. The most frequent technique was low dye taping.
The study found that in the short-term, taping is beneficial in treating plantar fasciitis. The best evidence exists for low dye taping and calcaneal taping. Additional research is necessary to examine long-term effect and effectiveness of specific taping techniques.