Comparison of extracorporeal shock wave therapy with botulinum toxin type A in the treatment of plantar fasciitis

AbstractObjective: To compare the efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) with botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) in the treatment of plantar fasciitis (PF).Design: Open label, prospective, randomized study.Results: A total of 72 patients were included. In all participants the median (and interquartile range) of the visual analog scale (VAS) of pain result, when taking the first steps, was 8 (6–9) points before treatment and 6 (4–8) points after treatment (p < 0.001). In the group of patients that received ESWT, the median (and interquartile range) of improvement in the VAS of pain result, when taking the first steps, was 2 (1–4) points, and in the group of patients that received BoNT-A the same result was 1 (0–2) points (p = 0.009). In the group of patients that received ESWT, the median (and interquartile range) of improvement in the Roles and Maudsley scale of pain result was 1 (0–1) points, and in the group of patients that received BoNT-A the same result was 0 (0–1) points (p = 0.006). In a...