SynthesisArchives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery2024
Effect of extracorporeal shockwave therapy on plantar fascia thickness in plantar fasciitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Application of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in pain management: a bibliometric analysis of current advances and trends.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Comparison of extracorporeal shock wave therapy targeting the posterior myofascial chain and plantar tenderness points versus plantar tenderness points alone in patients with plantar fasciitis: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Trial
- Comparison of extracorporeal shock wave therapy and high-intensity laser therapy in the treatment of calcaneal spur-related symptoms: clinical outcomes and functional improvement.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Trial
- Chronic plantar fasciitis: which is more effective? Prolotherapy/extracorporeal shock wave therapy? A randomized controlled trial.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2025Trial
- A Narrative Review of Shockwave Therapy in Plantar Fasciitis.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Review
- Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in Pain Management - an In-Depth Narrative Review.Orthopedic reviews · 2026Article
- Comparative Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Corticosteroid Injection and Radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.Indian journal of orthopaedics · 2025Article
- Sonographic Evaluation of the Superficial Back Line Myofascial Release in Plantar Fasciitis: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveExtracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has been used as a therapeutic option for plantar fasciitis. The objective was to investigate the effect of ESWT over the plantar fascia thickness.
methodsMEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and SCOPUS databases were searched for randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of ESWT in patients with plantar fasciitis, comparing ESWT with another treatment. Meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model and the generic inverse variance method. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were also carried out.
resultsA total of 14 studies (867 participants) were included. ESWT significantly decreased plantar fascia thickness (weighted mean difference [WMD], -0.21 mm [95% CI -0.39, -0.02]; p = 0.03). No significant improvement in pain was observed (WMD, -0.51 cm [95% CI -1.04, 0.01]; p = 0.06) compared with non-surgical interventions.
conclusionsOur results suggest that plantar fascia thickness is significantly decreased after ESWT intervention in patients with plantar fasciitis. However, pain relief was not significantly improved compared to other non-surgical interventions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
39023569What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.