Introduction: Patients with plantar fasciitis usually suffer from reduced mobility due to the pain caused by the movement of the tendons involved.
Aim: This study was aimed to compare both shockwave and ultrasound therapies in patients with plantar fasciitis by assessing the pain intensity, and both the functionality of the lower limbs and the quality of life impairments.
Methods: Total amount of 88 patients with plantar fasciitis constituted the shockwave group, 56 the ultrasound group and 15 the control group. The self-administered questionnaire "University of Peloponnese Pain, Functionality and Quality of Life Questionnaire" was used. The intensity of pain, functionality impairment and quality of life impairment were evaluated on a five-point Likert scale, before treatment, immediately after and at 4-week follow-up.
Results: The pain reduction and the improvement of functionality and quality of life after shockwave treatment and ultrasound treatment significantly increased both post-treatment (p<0,001) and at the 4-week follow-up (p<0,001) compared to post-treatment. However, the improvements in the ultrasound group were not as pronounced as in shockwave group (p<0,001).
Conclusions: Although both radial shockwave and ultrasound therapies were found to be effective in patients with plantar fasciitis, the statistical analysis showed that radial shockwave is significantly more effective than ultrasound therapy.
Keywords: musculoskeletal injuries; plantar fasciitis; rehabilitation; shockwave therapy; ultrasound therapy.