According to the outcomes of a double-blind, randomized controlled trial, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) seems to be a safe and well-tolerated physical therapy modality for alleviation of chronic refractory heel pain due to chronic plantar fasciitis in individuals suffering from axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Researchers investigated the effectiveness and tolerability of ESWT in 22 axSpA people with plantar fasciitis who had heel pain above 5 as per visual analog scale (VAS) over three months.

Participants were randomly allocated into sham-ESWT and ESWT. Both sham-ESWT (mean ± SD age: 43.8 ± 8.2 years) and ESWT (mean ± SD age: 48.5 ± 7.6 years) arms were given 3 therapies at a one-week interval. The enrolled volunteers were evaluated by VAS, heel pressure algometry, foot function index, and plantar fascia ultrasonography (morphology, thickness) at baseline, one week following each session, fourth and eighth week following the last treatment.

Regarding pain VAS, foot function index, and pressure algometry, profound time effects between the time points were noted in both groups. In comparison with the sham-ESWT group, the ESWT group exhibited a substantial reduction in pain, a rise in perceived pressure algometry values, and betterment in activity restriction. No alteration in the plantar fascia thickness was noted prior to and following the intervention in both sham-ESWT and ESWT.

During the treatment and follow-up, no side effects were witnessed. Thus, ESWT is beneficial for people having axial spondyloarthritis.