The long- and short-term effect of radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy on pain level in patients with plantar fasciosis – preliminary research

Introduction
Plantar Fasciosis (PF), also known as plantar fasciitis, is a common worldwide condition connected with heel-related locomotion. It is often treated with Radial Shockwave Therapy (RSWT); however, its effectiveness currently remains uncertain. The goal of this study was to determine the short- and long-term effects of RSWT on pain reduction in a group of patients with chronic PF.

Material and methods
The study included 28 patients with PF (mean age 53.68 +/- 9.69 yrs, mean BMI 30.56 +/- 5.37). Radial shock wave therapy was administered in five sessions. In total, 2000 shocks were administered per session at 2.5 Ba pressure and 10 Hz. The shocks were performed with a 15 mm transducer head. Pain-related parameters were evaluated with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), and Laitinen Pain Questionnaire (LPQ) at baseline, at each r-ESWT session, and at a six-month follow-up.

Results
Statistically and clinically significant changes were observed in VAS, NRS and LPQ (p < 0.001) with respective effect sizes of 0.38, 0.61 and 0.59. Although improvements were observed between the first and fifth measurement and between the first and sixth measurement, some discrepancies were noted in the results obtained at consecutive timepoints.

Conclusions
RSWT is an effective tool that can provide considerable reduction in pain severity in patients with PF despite no reduction in body weight over the follow-up period.