Heel pad thickness--a contributing factor associated with plantar heel pain in young adults.

Thirty-three runners were clinically diagnosed with plantar heel pain (PHP) and 107 runners were designated into a non-PHP group (NPHP). Cases were matched with a further control group of 64 subjects with regard to body mass index and age. A weight-bearing platform measured heel pad thickness by real-time ultrasound scanning.

Heel pad stiffness in runners with plantar heel pain.

Objective: To evaluate significant differences in heel pad stiffness within a cohort of runners with diagnosed plantar heel pain and to explore the clinical importance of maximum heel pad stiffness values.

Design: A cross-sectional design was used to quantify the heel pad stiffness of 166 runners with 33 diagnosed with plantar heel pain.

Background: Palpation is still widely used to evaluate heel pad stiffness subjectively in everyday clinical practice.

Development and validation of a self-efficacy scale for use in British patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RASE).

Objective: Current arthritis self-efficacy scales have attracted some criticism. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and validate a measure of self-efficacy for use in British rheumatoid arthritis patients [Rheumatoid Arthritis Self-efficacy (RASE) scale].

Methods: Phase I: item generation of self-management strategies by rheumatology professionals and patients to create a pilot RASE.

Reliability of weight-bearing heel pad thickness measurements by ultrasound.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the intra- and inter-operator reliability of measuring weightbearing heel pad thickness in healthy subjects. BACKGROUND: Heel pad thickness has been reported to be an important factor in determining stresses observed in healthy as well as pathological feet. To date no published data are available on inter- and intra-operator variation in sonographic heel pad thickness measurements in adults.