SynthesisEuropean journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine2024
Efficacy and tolerability of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in patients with plantar fasciopathy: a systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression.
Synthesis in European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Efficacy of different frequencies of extracorporeal shockwave on plantar flexor spasticity of the ankle in patients with stroke: a single-center, prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Trial
- Narrative review: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for pain management in musculoskeletal rehabilitation: Mechanisms, clinical applications, and safety.The Journal of international medical research · 2026Review
- Short-term effects of combined kinesio taping and extracorporeal shock wave therapy in patients with plantar fasciitis.Acta orthopaedica et traumatologica turcica · 2026Article
- High-Intensity Laser Therapy Versus Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Case Report: Application of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in medial epicondylitis with concomitant ulnar nerve instability: a case series with long-term follow-up.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Article
- Article
- 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
- Penetration Depth and Tissue Interaction of Focused Extracorporeal Shock Waves: An In-vitro Investigation.Cureus · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionPlantar fasciopathy (PF) is a common musculoskeletal condition characterized by heel pain and functional impairment. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has gained increasing interest in the treatment of PF, but the optimal ESWT program is still debated. Therefore, this systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression aimed at providing a comprehensive assessment of the efficacy and tolerability of ESWT in PF management. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published until February 2023 were systematically searched on PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and PEDro. Studies assessing adult patients with PF treated with ESWT were considered. The primary outcome was the tolerability of ESWT, measured by treatment adherence, dropouts, and safety. Secondary outcomes were pain intensity and functional outcomes. Meta-analysis and meta-regression were performed to examine the relationship between ESWT program characteristics and treatment outcomes. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Jadad scale and the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Our findings showed that ESWT is effective in reducing pain intensity assessed by Visual Analogue Scale [focal-ESWT: -2.818 (SE 0.803, -4.393, -1.244; P< 0.0001; radial-ESWT: -3.038 (SE 0.428, -3.878, -2.199; P<0.001)]. Meta-regression analysis indicated a positive relationship between specific ESWT parameters (frequency, number of pulses, energy flux density and frequency, and number of pulses, pressure) and pain intensity (all P<0.05) and dropout (all P<0.05).
conclusionsESWT seems to be an effective and tolerable treatment for PF, albeit the peculiarity of parameters might affect both the efficacy in pain relief and the adherence to the treatment. Physicians should consider individual patient characteristics when selecting the ESWT parameters for PF treatment. Further high-quality studies are warranted to establish the optimal ESWT protocol to treat PF.
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