Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Physician Assistant Studies

Committee Chair

Trey Boyd

Abstract

Introduction: Plantar fasciitis (PF), aka plantar heel pain (PHP), is a degenerative and debilitating musculoskeletal condition that is prevalent across various populations. There is some debate concerning the hierarchy of second-line treatment options. The purpose of this article is to compare the efficacy, as it relates to pain reduction, of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) and other invasive, non-surgical interventions (injections, dry needling, etc.).

Methods: PubMed was searched using a specific search strategy with key terms "extracorporeal shockwave therapy" and "plantar fasciitis". Operators and filters were then applied to narrow results to 4 relevant and quality articles for review.

Results: One review assessed various modalities for treating PF and compared results to expert interviews and patient surveys. Two reviews assessed numerous interventions for PF and evaluated pain reduction as well as the tolerability of treatment and the effect on function. One study directly compared ESWT to small needle-knife therapy for PF treatment.

Discussion: The articles reviewed generated results suggesting ESWT is equivalent or superior to the invasive, non-surgical modalities for which adequate evidence was available. However, studies included in these reviews were limited by significant heterogeneity and varying levels of evidence quality. Further research is needed under more homogeneous conditions to provide quality evidence regarding second-line treatment options for PF/PHP.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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