Comparison of effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy and peloidotherapy in patients with plantar fasciitis: a prospective, randomized, controlled study

Although peloidotherapy and ESWT are effective treatments for plantar fasciitis, there is no comprehensive research that directly compares their effectiveness. Our study aimed to compare the effectiveness of ESWT and peloidotherapy on pain, quality of life and functional status in individuals diagnosed with plantar fasciitis (PF). A total of 78 patients, aged between 18 and 65 years, diagnosed with PF after a thorough anamnesis and physical examination and experiencing heel pain for at least 3 months or longer and who presented to the Clinic between January 2021 and January 2023, were included in the study. Patients were randomly allocated to two groups. The peloidotherapy group received 15 sessions of peloid therapy five days a week for three weeks, while the ESWT group received three sessions of radial-type ESWT once a week for three weeks. Additionally, all patients were given a home exercise program. All patients were evaluated three times for treatment efficacy. Pain levels were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Heel Tenderness Index (HTI), functional status and quality of life were assessed using the Foot Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) and Short Form 36 (SF-36), respectively. In both treatment groups, there was a statistically significant improvement in VAS, HTI, FAOS and SF-36 scores at the end of treatment and during the one-month follow-up, compared to the initial baseline values. A statistically significant difference in favor of peloidotherapy was observed in post-treatment symptom and pain scores (p = 0.046). However, this difference did not persist at the one-month follow-up. Both active treatment methods were similarly effective and no superiority was observed between them (p > 0.05). Peloidotherapy and ESWT treatments, along with a home exercise program, were found to be effective for patients with plantar fasciitis. In the conservative treatment of PF, both peloidotherapy and ESWT can be recommended as effective and reliable options.