Riassunto dello studio

One hundred and two patients diagnosed with unilateral (right-sided) plantar fasciitis were randomized to receive extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) at different densities and number of sessions: Group A received 7 sessions of high-energy flux density (H-ESWT; 0.26 mJ/mm2); Group B received 3 sessions of H-ESWT (0.26 mJ/mm2); Group C received 7 sessions of low-energy flux density (<0.08 mJ/mm2) at 3 days interval. Outcomes of interest included pain on a visual analogue scale (VAS), Short Form (SF)-36 and the associated subscores (i.e. physical functioning, difficulty in physical role, difficulty in emotional role, vitality, mental health, social functioning, bodily pain, general health), six-minute walking test (6MWT), walking speed, functional assessment of chronic-illness therapy (FACIT)-fatigue scale, Foot Function Index pain scale (FFI-PS), Foot Function Index disability scale (FFI-DS), and Foot Function Index activity limitation subscale (FFI-AL). All outcomes were measured at 1 month post-intervention. All outcomes were statistically significantly different across groups A, B, and C (p<0.05 for all) with more favorable results in group A except for SF-36 emotional role subscore. All outcomes were statistically significantly improved at 1 month post-intervention compared to baseline values in groups A, B, and C (p<0.05 for all).