Abstract: BACKGROUND: Both extracorporeal shock wave therapy and corticosteroid injection therapy can be used to treat plantar fasciitis, but there is no study comparing the efficacy of the two methods by plantar pressure and gait analysis. 
OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy and corticosteroid injection in the treatment of plantar fasciitis through plantar pressure and gait analysis.
METHODS: Patients with unilateral plantar fasciitis were randomly divided into extracorporeal shock wave group and corticosteroid group, with 26 cases in each group. Extracorporeal shock wave group was treated with extracorporeal shock wave for 5 times, each time 2 000 times, frequency 5-10 Hz, treatment pressure 120-250 kPa, energy flow density 0.12-0.16 mJ/mm2. The corticosteroid group was treated with 2% lidocaine and compound betamethasone injection once. The trial was approved by the Ethics Committee of Qingdao Municipal Hospital on December 3, 2018 with the approval number of 2018 LSZ No. 048. 
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) All 52 patients completed the treatment and were followed up effectively. (2) There was no significant difference in general information between the two groups before treatment. There was no significant difference in visual analogue scale score, plantar pressure distribution and gait between the two groups before treatment. (3) Compared with those before treatment, the visual analogue scale score, plantar pressure distribution and gait of the two groups were significantly improved at 1 day, 1 and 3 months after treatment. (4) One day after treatment, compared with extracorporeal shock wave group, the visual analogue scale score of corticosteroid group was significantly lower; the bipedal pressure difference was significantly reduced; and the single support phase of the affected foot and the step length/height of healthy foot were significantly increased. One month after treatment, the visual analogue scale score, plantar pressure distribution and gait of the two groups were similar between the two groups. Three months after treatment, the improvement of visual analogue scale score, the decrease of bipedal pressure difference, the extension of single support phase of affected feet and the increasing of healthy foot step length / height in extracorporeal shock wave group were significantly better than those in corticosteroid group. (5) The results showed that both extracorporeal shock wave therapy and corticosteroid injection could relieve the pain and improve the function of the affected foot after treatment. Corticosteroid injection had a rapid onset and a short course of treatment, and the efficacy was weakened 3 months after treatment. The effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy is slow and the course of treatment is long, and it was more effective than corticosteroid injection 3 months after treatment.

Key words: plantar fasciitis, extracorporeal shock wave treatment, shockwave, corticosteroid injection, hormone, plantar pressure, gait, gait analysis, pain