Are YouTube Videos on Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome Reliable? An In‐Depth Assessment of Educational Content, Source, and Audience Engagement

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BACKGROUND: Tarsal tunnel syndrome (TTS) is a relatively uncommon compressive neuropathy of the posterior tibial nerve that is often underdiagnosed due to variable presentation and overlap with other conditions. As patients increasingly turn to YouTube for health information, concerns have arisen about the reliability and comprehensibility of such content. METHODS: On December 23, 2024, YouTube was queried using the terms "tarsal tunnel syndrome," "tarsal tunnel release," and "tarsal tunnel injection." After excluding duplicates, unrelated, non-English, and short (< 30 seconds) videos, 88 were reviewed and the 50 most-viewed were analyzed. Each was evaluated using three tools: the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria (0-4) for reliability, a 4-point Likert scale for comprehensibility, and a 19-point Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome-Specific Score (TTS-SS) for educational content. Video source, content type, and video power index (VPI) were also recorded. The Shapiro-Wilk test assessed normality, and Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon rank sum tests compared group with Holm adjustment. RESULTS: The median TTS-SS educational content score was 5.2 (IQR 3.0-8.0). Mean JAMA and comprehensibility scores were 2.0 and 2.6, respectively. Only 10% of videos met all four JAMA criteria, and fewer than 20% were rated as highly comprehensible. Disease-specific videos had the highest TTS-SS (mean = 6.8), while non-surgical management scored lowest (mean = 2.8, p = 0.025). Videos by trainers and physical therapists had higher VPI (mean = 338.4) than those by physicians (mean = 0.26, p < 0.001), despite lower educational value. Surgical technique videos were least comprehensible (mean = 1.4) compared with other types (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Among the most-viewed English-language YouTube videos sampled at a single time point, content related to TTS demonstrated generally low educational completeness, reliability, and comprehensibility. While healthcare professionals produce more accurate content, their videos attract less engagement than those by non-physicians. Improving visibility of evidence-based videos is necessary to ensure patients receive accurate information for this underrecognized condition.

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