Effectiveness of ESW T in Treatment of Heel Spurs

Introduction: Heel spurs are degenerative changes in the heel bone in the region of the medial process of the calcaneal tuberosity. More and more patients are now looking for ways to cope with the symptoms of heel spurs. The pain is located mainly underneath the heel or at the back of the heel. Patients experience the pain while walking; which often gets worse in the morning. The pain results from entesopathy in the region of the heel bone and from the inflammation of structures such as the plantar aponeurosis or the Achilles tendon. One of the ways of treating heel spurs is with a shockwave machine. Material and Methods: There were 42 patients involved in the study, 23 women and 19 men, aged 27-65. They were given shockwave treatment – ESWT seven times at one-week intervals. The electromagnetic shock wave in the Rosetta ESWT machine is targeted directly to the area which is painful, where the focus of inflammation is. Thus, the shock wave hits the inflamed spot directly without entering the adjacent tissue. For all the patients, measurements were made with the use of VAS, the 5-point Latinen questionnaire and algometry. Results: Shockwave therapy was found to be fairly effective and the results of the treatment were observed for longer periods compared to the results of more traditional methods of treatment. The patients experienced lower pain levels, both immediately after the last treatment session and one month after the therapy was completed.