Shockwave therapy is clinically proven to treat many musculoskeletal disorders. With acoustic pressure waves, healthcare practitioners can target an affected area to stimulate cells that are responsible for healing damaged bone and tissue. Consequently, shockwave therapy can heal conditions without drugs or surgery.

A recently published systematic review and meta-analysis looked at shockwave therapy’s application for foot therapy. It concluded that shockwave therapy effectively treated plantar fasciitis, calcaneal spurs, Achilles tendinopathy, and Morton’s neuroma with no noteworthy side effects.

Let’s take a look at more of the clinical data supporting shockwave therapy for foot therapy.

Plantar Fasciitis

A meta-analysis recently published in Foot and Ankle Surgery compared the efficacy of shockwave therapy to other therapies for treating chronic plantar fasciitis.

Researchers found that patients who’d been treated with shockwave therapy “had increased success or improvement rates, an increased modified Roles & Maudsley score, a reduction of pain scales, reduced return to work time, and fewer complications than patients treated with other therapy methods.”

Calcaneal Spurs

A single-blind, randomized study published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases examined the efficacy of shockwave therapy in calcaneal enthesophytosis. One group of 30 patients received shockwave therapy, while another group of 30 received a placebo.

The shockwave group saw a significant decrease in the visual analog scale score as well as reductions in the dimension of enthesophytosis and grade of enthesitis. The control group saw no such improvements.

Researchers concluded that shockwave therapy “is safe and improves the symptoms of most patients with a painful heel, it can also structurally modify enthesophytosis, and reduce inflammatory oedema.”

Achilles Tendinopathy

A prospective study published in the Journal of American Podiatric Medical Association analyzed the results of 23 patients who were treated with shockwave therapy for Achilles tendinosis, insertional tendonitis, or both.

Four months after treatment, the mean visual analog score for morning pain decreased from 7.0 to 2.3, and activity pain decreased from 8.1 to 3.1. Twenty of the patients said shockwave therapy improved their condition.

Morton’s Neuroma

A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial evaluated the safety and effectiveness of shockwave therapy for Morton’s neuroma.

According to the visual analog scale score, patients who received shockwave therapy showed a significant difference following treatment compared to the control group. Researchers concluded that shockwave therapy is a “possible alternative to surgical excision for Morton’s neuroma.”

Upgrade Your Foot Therapy Practice

Shockwave Canada helps healthcare professionals in various fields such as physiotherapists, chiropractors, etc. provide better outcomes for their patients. That’s because we are the exclusive distributor of Storz medical devices, the leader in shockwave therapy technology. And with our experts standing by with 24/7 support, you can be confident you’re in the right hands.

Call (866) 215-0635 or visit our website today to request a free consultation.