Volume 10 ; Issue 1 ; in Month : Jan-June (2026) Article No : 141
Marcin Wojciuch and Pawel Lizis

Abstract

Objective: The study intended to evaluate the efficacy of focused extracorporeal shockwave (fESWT) therapy versus radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy (rESWT) on foot function in patients with plantar fasciitis (PF) caused by heel spurs. Methods: A randomized study with concealed allocation, assessor blinding and intention-to-treat analysis. The study occurred in the Fizjo-Expert Rehabilitation Center in Żywiec, Poland. The patients were randomly assigned to an intervention group that received fESWT (n = 30), or to a rESWT (n = 30). The patients in both groups received 5 treatments, 1 per week for 5 weeks. The outcome was foot function using Foot Function Index (FFI). Results: After the treatments both intervention groups had significantly better FFI scores (P < 0.001). However, the improvement of the FFI postintervention was statistically greater for the fESWT group compared to the rESWT group. Conclusion: The patients with PF can achieve significantly better FFI caused by fESWT than by rESWT.

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