A Bibliometric Analysis and Visualization of Current Research Trends in the Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis

Abstract Plantar fasciitis has become a common health problem. Both in theory and in therapy of plantar fasciitis has progressed rapidly in the past few decades, but there were no bibliometric studies regarding plantar fasciitis. This study aimed to illustrate the overall knowledge structure and development trends of plantar fasciitis. The research datasets were collected from the Web of Science, limited to articles published before Dec 16, 2020. VOS viewer and Citespace software were provided to analyze the data and generate visualization knowledge maps, including annual trends of publications, distribution, h-Index status, citations status, co-authorship status and research hotspots. 1429 publications met the requirement. The number of publications showed an upward trend with a stable rise in recent years. In the fields of plantar fasciitis, the United States published most papers (493, 34.50%), both total citations (13268) and h-index (65) ranked first of all the countries; the most productive institution was La Trobe University (30); Foot & Ankle International (122) published the most papers. Growth factor, wave therapy, corticosteroid, foot function index and physical therapy were the research hotspots in the recent years. Indeed, this study provides great insights to the growth and development of plantar fasciitis. Moreover, it will contribute to the growth of the international frontier of plantar fasciitis. Level of Evidence II.