Efficacy of extracorporeal shockwave therapy, compared to corticosteroid injections, on pain, plantar fascia thickness and foot function in patients with plantar fasciitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To compare the efficacy of extracorporeal shock waves versus corticosteroid injections on pain, thickness of plantar fascia and foot function in patients with plantar fasciitis. Secondarily, to assess the efficacy of radial and focused extracorporeal shock waves and the most appropriate i...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Cortés-Pérez, Irene, Moreno-Montilla, Laura, Ibáñez-Vera, Alfonso Javier, Díaz-Fernández, Angeles, Obrero-Gaitán, Esteban, Lomas-Vega, Rafael
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2024
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Jaén
Repository:RUJA. Repositorio Institucional de la Producción Científica de la Universidad de Jaén
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:ruja________::69495f7b7409d332e5082a379f82f2b2
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/02692155241253779
https://hdl.handle.net/10953/7694
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Plantar fasciitis
extracorporeal shock waves
corticosteroid injections
pain
plantar fascia thickness
foot function
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Summary:Objective: To compare the efficacy of extracorporeal shock waves versus corticosteroid injections on pain, thickness of plantar fascia and foot function in patients with plantar fasciitis. Secondarily, to assess the efficacy of radial and focused extracorporeal shock waves and the most appropriate intensity. Data sources: PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL and PEDro databases were searched up to April 2024 following PRISMA guidelines. Methods: Randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy of extracorporeal shock waves versus corticosteroid injections on pain intensity and sensitivity, thickness of plantar fascia and foot function in patients with plantar fasciitis were included. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed using the PEDro scale and the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Pooled effect was calculated using the standardized mean difference and its 95% confidence interval. Results: Sixteen studies involving 1121 patients were included. At three months, extracorporeal shock waves were better than corticosteroid injections in reducing pain and thickness of the plantar fascia and increasing foot function. At six months, extracorporeal shock waves were more effective in reducing pain and improving foot function. Local pain and slight erythema were the most frequent adverse events. Conclusions: Extracorporeal shock waves are a safe therapy, presenting more efficacy than corticosteroid injections in improving pain, thickness of plantar fascia and foot function at mid-term.