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Radial extracorporeal shock wave device appearance does not influence clinical outcomes: A randomized controlled
Antoni Morral1, Gerard Urrútia, Ignasi Gich
1Blanquerna School of Health Sciences, Ramon Llull University, 08025 Barcelona, Spain. antonimf@blanquerna.url.edu.
Objective:
To determine whether the appearance of a radial extracorporeal shock wave device affects clinical outcomes in chronic plantar fasciitis.
Study Design:
Randomized controlled parallel assessor-blinded clinical trial.
Material And Methods:
A total of 135 patients were assigned to 3 groups: group I, standard radial extracorporeal shock wave device; group II, standard radial extracorporeal shock wave device modified to give a more sophisticated appearance; group III, standard radial extracorporeal shock wave device modified to give a more austere appearance. The radial extracorporeal shock waves emitted by the 3 devices were identical. Primary outcome was foot function, measured with the Foot Function Index. Secondary outcomes were pain at different times, measured with a visual analogue scale, and plantar fascia thickness, measured with ultrasound.
Results:
All variables decreased significantly from baseline assessment, in all 3 groups and at all time-points: 1, 2, 4 and 14 months after the last session (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between groups for any of the variables assessed.
Conclusion:
Device appearance had no statistically significant influence on clinical outcomes in patients with chronic plantar fasciitis treated with radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy.
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