Effectiveness of Extracorporeal Shockwave in Planter Fasciitis

July 3, 2026 updated by: Adly A Adam

Effectiveness of Extracorporeal Shockwave on Gait Parameters and Quality of Life in Planter Fasciitis

Extracorporeal Shockwave (ESW) is a popular, non-invasive approach that arisen in line to stimulate healing via acoustic waves targeting lesion site i.e., planter fasciitis. Therefore, current clinical trial targets to determine the long-term effectiveness of ESW on Calcaneal spur in terms of quality of life, functional, and clinical manifestations, as well addressing real barriers for ESW approach among whom diagnosed with planter fasciitis.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

Worldwide ESW protocol parameters' discrepancy still a research gap, mainly in terms of calcaneal spur i.e., sessions' number, applications' parameters. Therefore, current clinical trial was conducted to address the effectiveness of ESW on planter fasciitis on long-term, plus identifying the real barriers addressed by sufferers.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

175

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

Egypt
- Menofyia
  - Cairo, Menofyia, Egypt, 11432
    - Al-Kasr Al-Ani Hospitals

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Current observational cohort trial involved participants diagnosed with planter fasciitis, whom age ranged between 25-59 years old, with nearby 3 months of clinical manifestations mainly heel pain.

They had plantar medial heel pain: most noticeable with initial steps after a period of inactivity, but also worse following prolonged weight-bearing,

Whom had pain with palpation of the proximal insertion of the plantar fascia.
Whom had positive windlass test.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Individuals diagnosed with planter fasciitis, whom age ranged between 25-59 years old, with nearby 3 months of clinical manifestations mainly heel pain.
Whom have plantar medial heel pain: most noticeable with initial steps after a period of inactivity, but also worse following prolonged weight-bearing,
Whom had pain with palpation of the proximal insertion of the plantar fascia.
Whom had positive windlass test.

Exclusion Criteria:

Any individual whom underwent feet or ankle surgical interventions, received steroid injections within the past 3 months, also whom have deep venous thrombosis, or had a tarsal tunnel syndrome, diabetic neuropathies or any sort of tumors, lymphatic lesions.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Number of groups / cohorts

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Experimental Group A 150 individuals with planter fasciitis whom received ESW intervention. Their age ranged between 25 to 59 years old, with well-organized full demographic data filling system, and evaluation for their clinical manifestations, plus service quality evaluation in line to address the long-term effectiveness of the received ESW therapeutic protocol, and identifying barriers they addressed.

Group / Cohort

Experimental Group

A 150 individuals with planter fasciitis whom received ESW intervention. Their age ranged between 25 to 59 years old, with well-organized full demographic data filling system, and evaluation for their clinical manifestations, plus service quality evaluation in line to address the long-term effectiveness of the received ESW therapeutic protocol, and identifying barriers they addressed.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pressure Pain Threshold Time Frame: 1- At Baseline, 2- Post-Treatment, 3- After 6 months as long-term follow-up	A valid, reliable Pressure Algometer device, that is calibrated per each evaluation, in line to identify well-addressed pressure pain threshold, that spread from the plantar calcaneal tuberosity for each participant.	1- At Baseline, 2- Post-Treatment, 3- After 6 months as long-term follow-up
American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society Scale (AOFAS) Time Frame: 1- At baseline, 2- Post-treatment, 3- After 6 months as long-term follow-up.	a 9-item questionnaire classified into three subscales: 1) level of pain consists of 1 item and its score ranges from 0 to 40; 40 points = no pain and 0 points = severe pain; 2) function consists of 7 items (Activity limitations, support requirements, maximum continuous walking distance, walking surface, gait abnormalities, sagittal motion, hind foot motion, ankle hind-foot stability), and its score ranges from 0 (severe function impairment score) to 50 points (full function score); and 3) foot alignment consists of 1 item; its score ranges from 0 to 10 points; good alignment of ankle and foot equals 10 points and zero indicates severe malalignment, symptoms. It was used for measuring functional recovery after different foot and ankle problems. The total score of the scale ranged from 0 to 100 points; (0) indicates the worst, and (100) shows no symptoms or impairments.	1- At baseline, 2- Post-treatment, 3- After 6 months as long-term follow-up.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Visual Analogue Scale Time Frame: 1- At Baseline, 2- Post-Treatment, 3- After 6 months as long-term follow-up	10-point, as 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain they can imagine). VAS scores ≤3.4 demarcated as mild pain, 3.5 to 7.4 as moderate pain, and ≥7.5 as severe pain. VAS is a simple, valid, as well as successful way to keep monitor of how a patient's pain is changing over time, and it has been utilized extensively in varied adult groups with a strong evidence of test-retest reliability (ICC= 0.99, 95%CI 0.989-0.992)	1- At Baseline, 2- Post-Treatment, 3- After 6 months as long-term follow-up
Arabic version of the foot function index (FFI) Time Frame: 1- At Baseline, 2- Post-Treatment, 3- After 6 months as long-term follow-up	a widely used self-reporting measure used to assess the impact of foot pathology on pain, disability, and activity limitation. It is a reliable and sensitive outcome measure for patients with foot and ankle disorders. The FFI's subscale scores range from 0% to 100%, with higher scores indicating lower function and a poorer quality of life	1- At Baseline, 2- Post-Treatment, 3- After 6 months as long-term follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Adly A Adam

Investigators

Principal Investigator: Adnan AA Gharib, GOTHI

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

May 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 21, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria