Effectiveness of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy Without Local Anesthesia in Patients With Recalcitrant Plantar Fasciitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

PainSci » bibliography » Lou et al 2016
updated Mar 4, 2017

Tags: treatment, devices, plantar fasciitis, good news, foot, leg, limbs, pain problems, overuse injury, injury, tendinosis

Two articles on PainSci cite Lou 2016: 1. Complete Guide to Plantar Fasciitis 2. Does Ultrasound Therapy Work?

original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this meta-analysis was to investigate the efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the treatment of recalcitrant plantar fasciitis without local anesthesia.

METHODS: The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to September 2015 for randomized controlled trials comparing ESWT without local anesthesia versus placebo for treatment of plantar fasciitis in adults. The primary outcome was the 12-week post-intervention success rate of reducing the visual analog scale score by 60% from baseline at the first step in the morning, reducing the VAS score by 60% from baseline during daily activities, reducing the Roles and Maudsley score, reducing overall heel pain, and reducing pain after applying a force meter.

RESULTS: Nine studies were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with placebo, ESWT significantly improved the success rate of reducing overall heel pain, reducing the VAS score by 60% at the first step in the morning and during daily activities, improving the Roles and Maudsley score to excellent or good, and reducing heel pain after application of a pressure meter.

CONCLUSIONS: ESWT seems to be particularly effective in relieving pain associated with RPF. ESWT should be considered when traditional treatments have failed.

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OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to (1) understand the recovery rates for nonsurgical treatment of plantar fasciitis, (2) understand the role of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in the treatment of recalcitrant plantar fasciitis, and (3) understand the indications to incorporate ESWT in the treatment plan of recalcitrant plantar fasciitis.

This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:

Association of Lumbar MRI Findings with Current and Future Back Pain in a Population-based Cohort Study. Kasch 2022 Spine (Phila Pa 1976).
A double-blinded randomised controlled study of the value of sequential intravenous and oral magnesium therapy in patients with chronic low back pain with a neuropathic component. Yousef 2013 Anaesthesia.
Is Neck Posture Subgroup in Late Adolescence a Risk Factor for Persistent Neck Pain in Young Adults? A Prospective Study. Richards 2021 Phys Ther.
Sudden amnesia resulting in pain relief: the relationship between memory and pain. Choi 2007 Pain.
Photobiomodulation therapy is not better than placebo in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Guimarães 2021 Pain.