Pain relief and functional improvement provided by extracorporeal shock wave therapy in plantar fasciitis is better than corticosteroid injection and kinesio taping: A randomized trial

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the results of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), corticosteroid injection (CI), and kinesio taping (KT) in terms of pain and function in plantar fasciitis (PF). Patients and methods: In this prospective study, 90 feet of 64 patients (11 males, 53 females; mean age: 38.3 +/- 10.4 years; range, 22 to 70 years) who presented with chronic PF between November 2021 and March 2022 were evaluated. The patients were randomized to three groups, with 30 feet in each group: the CI group, the ESWT group, and the KT group. Each group received only the respective treatment modalities assigned to their group. Pain assessment of the patients before the treatment and at six weeks, three months, and six months was evaluated with the visual analog scale (VAS), and their functions were evaluated with the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score. Results: There was no statistical difference in the demographic data (age, body mass index, and VAS; all p > 0.05). At six weeks, VAS was statistically significantly lower in the CI group compared to the other groups (p < 0.001), but there was no difference in AOFAS between the groups (p= 0.666). At three months, there was no statistical difference between the groups regarding VAS (p=0.311), while the AOFAS was higher in the ESWT group (p= 0.006). At six months, VAS was lower (p < 0.001) and AOFAS was higher (p=0.003) in the ESWT group. Conclusion: All three commonly used treatment modalities, ESWT, CI, and KT, are effective in reducing pain and increasing function in chronic PF. However, while CIs can be more effective in relieving pain in the early period, the most significant improvement at the end of the sixth month was achieved by ESWT.