How Effective is Shockwave Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis?

How Effective is Shockwave Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes. It is one of the most common causes of ankle pain. Patients experience stabbing pain near the heel, especially severe in the morning. Treatments for plantar fasciitis include shoe inserts, surgery, steroid injections, and the topic of discussion, shockwave therapy.

What Is Shockwave Therapy?

Shockwave therapy is widely used in sports medicine, urology, physiotherapy, orthopedics, and even veterinary medicine. Its primary goal is acute or chronic pain relief and restoration of mobility.

During treatment, a shockwave device delivers elevated acoustic energy levels to the pain-afflicted tissues. When the tissues receive the energy, it increases the rate and frequency of the restorative and regenerative processes that heal the body.

The therapy forms new blood vessels, increasing circulation in the area, thus reducing inflammation and related pain.

Shockwave therapy is a preferred treatment in plantar fasciitis as an alternative to surgery and steroid injections since it is less invasive. Similarly, it is a more permanent solution than shoe inserts.

The Procedure

The foot specialist will find the tender area on the patient's heel and mark it. The podiatrist then applies a gel layer to the affected area, which helps transport the acoustic waves to the injured tissues.

The podiatrist then applies a probe attached to the shockwave machine onto the skin, transmitting the waves to the affected tissues. The treatment lasts about two to twenty minutes before the foot specialist wipes off the gel, and the patient can go home. Best of all, it requires no recovery time.

But What About Its Effectiveness?

Several studies have measured the effectiveness of shockwave therapy in treating plantar fasciitis, and most proved that shockwave therapy improves symptoms in at least 80% of the patients.

According to these studies, the success rate of shockwave therapy in treating plantar fasciitis often lies between 80 and 88%. These rates are almost identical to those of surgery, with shockwave therapy providing the advantage of non-invasiveness plus no recovery time.

Researchers collected data from 56 patients in one study, evaluating them at 3, 6, and 12 weeks between 2017 and 2018. They noted progressive improvement in the three stages of evaluation.

Another case shows shockwave therapy's long-term success in treating chronic heel pain. The patient suffered chronic pain for almost three years, aggravated by her daily routine.

The patient had tried various treatment options, including anti-inflammatory medication, cortisone injections, orthotics, physical therapy, and immobilization. But it was not until her first shockwave therapy treatment that she noticed reduced pain by up to 50%.

In another record of nine studies with 935 patients (one group on shockwave therapy and another on placebo), the shockwave therapy patients noted higher improvement rates than the placebo group.

The Verdict

Multiple studies prove that shockwave therapy for plantar fasciitis is effective. Experts recommend this therapy to patients with chronic heel pain who have yet to see notable results from other forms of treatment.