Abstract
No consensus has been reached about the best treatment method of plantar fasciitis
and the results of the treatment methods have been inconsistent. The objective of
the present study was to compare the therapeutic effects of extracorporeal shock wave
therapy, platelet-rich plasma injection, local corticosteroid injection, and prolotherapy
for the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis using a randomized, controlled, prospective
study. We performed a randomized controlled prospective clinical study of 4 groups.
The first group received extracorporeal shock wave therapy, the second group received
prolotherapy, the third group received platelet-rich plasma injection, and the fourth
group received a local corticosteroid injection. The study included 158 consecutive
patients with a diagnosis of chronic plantar fasciitis with a symptomatic heel spur.
The clinical outcomes were assessed using the visual analog scale and Revised Foot
Function Index. At the end of the follow-up period, the mean visual analog scale scores
for all 4 groups were similar to the mean visual analog scale scores before treatment.
At the end of the follow-up period, no significant improvement was noted in the Revised
Foot Function Index score in any of the groups. The corticosteroid injection was more
effective in the first 3 months and extracorporeal shock wave therapy was an effective
treatment method in the first 6 months in regard to pain. The corticosteroid injection
lost its effectiveness during the follow-up period. The effect of prolotherapy and
platelet-rich plasma was seen within 3 to 12 months; however, at the 36-month follow-up
point, no differences were found among the 4 treatments.
Level of Clinical Evidence
Keywords
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Article info
Footnotes
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Conflict of Interest: None reported.
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