title: Extracorporeal shock-wave therapy effectively reduces calcaneal spur length and spur-related pain in overweight and obese patients.
abstract: We aimed to evaluate the effects of extra corporeal shock-wave therapy (ESWT) on the calcaneal spur length and pain severity in overweight and obese patients with symptomatic calcaneal spur.
  In eighty patients with symptomatic calcaneal spur, ESWT was administered on days 0 and 7, and visual analog scale (VAS) scores and calcaneal spur lengths (CSLs) before and 3 months later after treatment were recorded. A lateral heel radiograph was used for computer-aided linear measurements of CSL.
  Of 80 patients, 59 (73.7%) were female and 21 were male (26.3%); age was 45.9 ± 8.3 years; BMI was 31.6 ± 4.4 kg/m2; and symptom duration was 2.3 ± 2.4 years. The CSL and VAS score after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (CSL before vs. after: 5.7 ± 1.0 vs. 4.4 ± 0.9, p = 0.001; VAS score before vs. after: 8.3 ± 1.4 vs. 4.6 ± 2.2; p = 0.03). The CSLs before and after treatment had a significant strong correlation (r = 0.832, p = 0.001). The VAS scores before and after treatment presented a significant mild correlation (r = 0.242, p = 0.03).
  In overweight and obese patients with symptomatic calcaneal spur, ESWT reduces the CSL and pain severity during a follow-up of three-month duration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey.
authors.forename: Emrullah
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hayta
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Salk
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cesur
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gumus
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Siddik
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Tuncay
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cetin
keywords: Calcaneal spur; extracorporeal shock wave therapy; pain X-ray imaging