Treatment of chronic plantar fasciopathy with extracorporeal shock waves (review)

There is an increasing interest by doctors and patients in
extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for chronic plantar
fasciopathy (PF), particularly in second generation radial
extracorporeal shock wave therapy (RSWT). The present review aims
at serving this interest by providing a comprehensive overview on
physical and medical definitions of shock waves and a detailed
assessment of the quality and significance of the randomized
clinical trials published on ESWT and RSWT as it is used to treat
chronic PF. Both ESWT and RSWT are safe, effective, and technically
easy treatments for chronic PF. The main advantages of RSWT over
ESWT are the lack of need for any anesthesia during the treatment
and the demonstrated long-term treatment success (demonstrated at
both 6 and 12 months after the first treatment using RSWT, compared
to follow-up intervals of no more than 12 weeks after the first
treatment using ESWT). In recent years, a greater understanding of
the clinical outcomes in ESWT and RSWT for chronic PF has arisen in
relationship not only in the design of studies, but also in
procedure, energy level, and shock wave propagation. Either
procedure should be considered for patients 18 years of age or
older with chronic PF prior to surgical intervention.