Abstract
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy/radial soundwave therapy has been predominantly
used for chronic or recalcitrant plantar fasciitis with strong scientific evidence
of reliable outcomes. Most of the studies included patients with plantar fasciitis
with symptoms >6 months in duration. Only 2 known studies have investigated acute
plantar fasciitis, which is <6 weeks in duration. They both found suboptimal results
for the use of extracorporeal shock wave therapy. To the best of our knowledge, no
studies have investigated radial soundwave therapy for the subacute stage or early
stage of plantar fasciitis. Data were prospectively collected from 28 eligible patients
who underwent radial soundwave therapy (RSWT) during a 9-month period in 2014. Of
the 28 subjects, 14 were enrolled in the “early group” with a symptom duration of
<3 months and 14 in the “standard/control” group with a symptom duration of >6 months.
The pretreatment and posttreatment visual analog scale scores, Roles-Maudlsey scores,
and activity level were recorded and compared. The early implementation of RSWT yielded
comparable outcomes when compared with the standard group. RSWT is a valid treatment
modality that can be implemented soon after the initial treatment options or first-phase
treatment options have failed. Early treatment is more likely to allow for maintenance
of patients' activity level. Also, waiting 6 months to treat plantar fasciitis with
RSWT results in delays and inferior results. Early treatment is better for active
and athletic patients.
Level of Clinical Evidence
Keywords
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Article info
Footnotes
Financial Disclosure: A.S. received a device from ZimmerUSA for the study.
Conflict of Interest: A.S. and L.G. have received honoraria from ZimmerUSA and StorzMedical.
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Copyright
© 2017 by the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. All rights reserved.
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- ErratumThe Journal of Foot and Ankle SurgeryVol. 56Issue 6
- PreviewIn the article “Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis With Radial Soundwave ‘Early’ Is Better Than After 6 Months: A Pilot Study” (2017;56[5]:950–953), the third affiliation was incorrect. It should be Orthopedic Surgeon, Department of Musculoskeletal Disorders, University of Salerno School of Medicine and Dentistry, Salerno, Italy.
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