Abstract
The initial treatment of plantar fasciitis should be conservative, with most cases
responding to standard physiotherapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs),
heel pads, and stretching. In cases of chronic refractory symptoms, more invasive
treatment could be necessary. Noninvasive interactive neurostimulation (NIN) is a
form of electric therapy that works by locating areas of lower skin impedance. The
objective of the present prospective randomized controlled study was to evaluate whether
the use of NIN for chronic plantar fasciitis could result in greater improvement in
a foot functional score, lower levels of reported pain, reduced patient consumption
of NSAIDs, and greater patient satisfaction compared with electric shockwave therapy
in patients without a response to standard conservative treatment. The patients were
randomized using random blocks to the NIN program (group 1) or electric shockwave
therapy (group 2). The outcome measurements were the pain subscale of the validated
Foot Function Index (PS-FFI), patient-reported subjective assessment of the level
of pain using a standard visual analog scale, and daily intake of NSAID tablets (etoricoxib
60 mg). The study group was evaluated at baseline (time 0), week 4 (time 1), and week
12 (final follow-up point). Group 1 (55 patients) experienced significantly better
results compared with group 2 (49 patients) in term of the PS-FFI score, visual analog
scale score, and daily intake of etoricoxib 60 mg. NIN was an effective treatment
of chronic resistant plantar fasciitis, with full patient satisfaction in >90% of
cases. The present prospective randomized controlled study showed superior results
for noninvasive neurostimulation compared with electric shockwave therapy, in terms
of the functional score, pain improvement, and use of NSAIDs.
Level of Clinical Evidence
Keywords
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Article info
Footnotes
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Conflict of Interest: None reported.
Identification
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© 2017 by the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. All rights reserved.
