Clinically relevant effectiveness of focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis: a randomized, controlled multicenter study.

Background: The effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the treatment of plantar fasciitis is controversial. The objective of the present study was to test whether focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy is effective in relieving chronic heel pain diagnosed as plantar fasciitis.

Methods: Two hundred and fifty subjects were enrolled in a prospective, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled U.