Journal of Ergonomics
Open Access

Abstract

The Use of the Power Step Shoe Insert to Manage Plantar Fasciitis Pain in Industrial Workers: A Seven-Year Pilot Report

Eric Durak

We tested the effects of the Power Step shoe insert in a group of Facilities Management employees (n=23 staff, seventeen men, six woman, average 15 years of university service), 80% of whom have been clinically diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis. Inserts were handed out to staff that qualified based on diagnosis beginning in 2008, and regular staff surveys were solicited every six months thereafter. New inserts were given to staff each year as they qualified. Over the course of seven years, eight staff personnel retired or left the program, and 10 were added to the program. Wear and tear of the insert, and pain levels based on McGill 1-10 rating scale were used each year. In the seven years of the program- the average length of use was 4.5 years, and pain levels were reduced from 4.83 (year one average) to 1.60, which includes new personnel who were added after 2010. Changes were also seen over time with individual workers who used the Power Steps for more than two years, seeing a decrease and levelling off of pain levels from the first year of use. The results of this program show that over time the chronic pain levels associated with work efforts in staff with Plantar Fasciitis are reduced by a statistically significant amount and clinically based on the addition of long- term Power Step inserts added to work boots and shoes in Facilities Management staff. This trend is continual even for newer users, and comparisons with non-power step usage shows significant variations in pain levels.