Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40124974›Full record

ReviewRheumatology advances in practice2025

Intra-articular corticosteroid injections for the treatment of people with foot and ankle osteoarthritis: a systematic review.

Katherine Jones, Julie Bruce, Thomas L Lewis, Ciaran N Nolan, Shannon E Munteanu, Hylton B Menz, Michael R Backhouse

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Rheumatology advances in practice, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Katherine JonesWarwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Warwick, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0615-8442
Julie BruceWarwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Warwick, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8462-7999
Thomas L LewisWarwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Warwick, UK.
Ciaran N NolanTrauma and Orthopaedics, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust, Birmingham, UK.
Shannon E MunteanuDepartment of Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Prosthetics and Orthotics, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
Hylton B MenzDepartment of Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Prosthetics and Orthotics, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
Michael R BackhouseWarwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Warwick, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0056-8467

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: Intra-articular corticosteroid injections are commonly used in the management of foot and ankle OA. Although current clinical guidelines advocate the judicious use of corticosteroid injection as an adjunct therapy, none of these recommendations are specific to the foot and ankle. Therefore, the aim of this review is to examine the effectiveness of intra-articular corticosteroid injections in people with foot or ankle OA. Methods: Four databases (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature [CINAHL], MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL) and one clinical trial register (International Clinical Trials Registry Platform [ICTRP]) were searched from inception to June 2024 for randomized control trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs evaluating corticosteroid injection in the treatment of foot or ankle OA on pre-specified outcomes: pain, function, quality of life, safety (adverse events) and/or cost-effectiveness. Two independent reviewers conducted record screening, data extraction (Cochrane data extraction tool) and assessment of methodological quality (Cochrane Risk of Bias tool [RoB 2.0]). Results: From 1711 citations, two RCTs (57 participants, 49% males) were identified. There were no differences in pain or function over 8 weeks after a single injection of intra-articular corticosteroid compared with prolotherapy for treatment of first metatarsal joint OA. Pain and function significantly improved in people having three corticosteroid injections combined with hyaluronic acid compared with corticosteroid injections alone for treatment of post-traumatic subtalar OA. Methodological quality was graded as some concerns in both trials. Conclusion: There is insufficient evidence to guide the use of intra-articular corticosteroid injections for OA of the foot or ankle. Future robust research is needed to provide reliable evidence for this commonly performed treatment.

Indexed as

anklecorticosteroidfootosteoarthritissteroidssystematic review

Identifiers

PMID40124974
PMCPMC11928786

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.