Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy versus Low-Level Laser Therapy in the Management of Chronic Plantar Fasciitis | ||||
Suez Canal University Medical Journal | ||||
Article 2, Volume 21, Issue 2, October 2018, Page 71-81 PDF (318.52 K) | ||||
Document Type: Original Article | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/scumj.2018.42935 | ||||
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Authors | ||||
Gehad ELsehrawy1; Samah Nasef ![]() ![]() | ||||
1Department of Physical Medicine, Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt | ||||
2Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt | ||||
3Department of Physical Medicine, Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt | ||||
Abstract | ||||
Objectives: to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) and low-level laser therapy (LLLT) using diagnostic ultrasound (US) in the management of chronic plantar fasciitis (PF). Patients and Methods: The study was done as a prospective, randomized, comparative clinical study. Patients with PF were randomly allocated into 2 groups: ESWT (n= 23), LLLT (n= 23), group 1 underwent 2 sessions of ESWT (2050 shocks, 2.5 bars) and group 2 underwent 6 sessions of LLLT (27 J/cm2; 830 nm). All patients were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS), foot function index (FFI) and diagnostic US to measure plantar fascia thickness and to assess echogenicity before and 1 month after treatment. Results: There were significant improvement after one month of treatment in the mean VAS, FFI, thickness of the plantar fascia and echogenicity in both groups. LLLT proved significantly superior to ESWT in pain relief (p = 0.029), but no significant difference between both groups in FFI improvement (p= 0 .264). No statistically significant difference between both groups regarding improvement in US findings including plantar fascia thickness (p= 0.885) and echogenicity (p= 0.34). Conclusion: LLLT proved to be more effective than ESWT in pain relief in patients with PF after one month of treatment. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Extracorporeal shock wave; Low-level laser therapy; Plantar fasciitis; Ultrasound | ||||
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