Shockwave therapy and injections
"Regenerative" is a label readers meet next to shockwave and platelet-rich plasma. It promises a repair, and a promise like that deserves a comparison. The six questions below look for the published research behind each treatment claim.
What each answer checks
- Does shockwave therapy hurt? The answer looks at how public sources describe the experience and leaves the brochure language aside.
- How many shockwave sessions are usually needed? The answer checks any "usual" number against the trials that report one.
- Is PRP better than a steroid shot for heel pain? The answer reads an NIH PMC trial that favored PRP over a steroid shot on long-term pain and function in chronic plantar fasciitis, and asks what "better" covers there.
- What is a PRP injection? The answer begins with the name, so "regenerative" has something concrete to be measured against.
- Do steroid injections help foot arthritis? The answer keeps heel-pain results apart from arthritis claims.
- What is extracorporeal shockwave therapy? The answer starts from the full name. NIH PMC also cites a study that compared extracorporeal shock-wave therapy with a local platelet-rich plasma injection for plantar fasciitis.
The claim they share
All six test a treatment claim against published research. Where one treatment is said to beat another, the answer points to the comparison behind it.
The trials are open to read. One is a randomized trial of platelet-rich plasma and corticosteroid injections for chronic plantar fasciitis. Another is an open label trial of focused shock wave therapy on myofascial points. There is also a meta-analysis of randomized trials on shock wave therapy for chronic plantar fasciitis. The AAFP article on injection of the ankle and foot covers the injection side.
When a label crosses topics
If a claim about shockwave or injections sounds like a way to avoid an operation, read our foot and ankle surgery group alongside this one.