Adding Physical Therapist Treatment to Usual Podiatry Care for Plantar Heel Pain: What an Economic Evaluation Alongside a Randomized Trial Found

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who see patients with plantar heel pain, and anyone who works alongside podiatry, primary care or payers and wants to understand what the cost evidence for adding physical therapist treatment actually shows.

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants in outpatient orthopedic, sports, and multidisciplinary foot and ankle settings; clinic owners, managers and educators interested in the economic evidence for musculoskeletal care.

Intended audience

Physical Therapy

Level

Introductory

Delivery format

Online, asynchronous, self-paced course: interactive reading with audio or video, and a scored post-test.

Based on

This course is based on a single peer-reviewed economic evaluation conducted alongside a randomized clinical trial. All findings, figures and conclusions described in this course come from that paper.

McClinton SM, Heiderscheit BC, Flynn TW, Pinto D. Cost-Effectiveness of Physical Therapist Treatment in Addition to Usual Podiatry Management of Plantar Heel Pain: Economic Evaluation of a Randomized Clinical Trial. Phys Ther. 2025;105(11). doi:10.1093/ptj/pzaf119. PMID: 41042252. PMCID: PMC12581901.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe the design, setting and participants of the economic evaluation that compared usual podiatry care plus physical therapist treatment with usual podiatry care alone for plantar heel pain.
2. State what the authors reported for three-year costs and quality of life when physical therapist treatment was added to usual podiatry care, including the direction of the first-year cost pattern.
3. Explain the limitations the authors identified and the practice context in which they said their findings apply.

1. Start Here: How This Course Works
2. Audio Lesson: Adding Physical Therapy to Podiatry Care for Plantar Heel Pain (about nine minutes)
3. Plantar Heel Pain, Referral Patterns, and the Question the Trial Asked
4. How the Costs and Quality of Life Were Tracked Over Three Years
5. What the Analysis Found: Costs Down, Quality of Life Up
6. Where the Evidence Stops: One Clinic, One Care Pathway
7. Shared Decision-Making, Early Referral, and What This Means at the Point of Care
8. Key Takeaways
9. Post-Test and Course Evaluation

Quinn Millington, PT, DPT, ECS is the instructor of record: the licensed clinician who reviewed this course and signed off on it. The name and credentials print on the certificate.

Disclosures. This course was developed by The ConEd Solution, which has a financial interest in its sale. No outside funding or sponsorship was received. The instructor of record has no affiliation with the authors of the source publication or their institutions.

This course awards 0.5 contact hours (30 min). How you earn them:

1. Complete the course. Every lesson, in order.
2. Pass the post-test. Score 80% or higher. Retakes are allowed.
3. Complete the evaluation. A short form rating each learning objective and the course.
4. Download your certificate. It is issued on completion and stays available in My Account.

The episode time is its measured length. Reading, post-test and evaluation times are estimates.

This course is designed to satisfy the quality requirements state boards set for continuing education. Requirements vary by state, and confirming that a course fits your renewal is up to you. Each state’s own acceptance statement is in the credit panel on this page.

1. This course is based on a single peer-reviewed economic evaluation conducted alongside a randomized clinical trial. All findings, figures and conclusions described in this course come from that paper.
2. McClinton SM, Heiderscheit BC, Flynn TW, Pinto D. Cost-Effectiveness of Physical Therapist Treatment in Addition to Usual Podiatry Management of Plantar Heel Pain: Economic Evaluation of a Randomized Clinical Trial. Phys Ther. 2025;105(11). doi:10.1093/ptj/pzaf119. PMID: 41042252. PMCID: PMC12581901.