Re: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy

Issue: BCMJ, vol. 46, No. 6, July August 2004, Page 275 Letters
By: Bernhard Toews, MD

I was intrigued by the literature review of Drs Clement and Taunton in the recent BCMJ (“Extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the management of plantar fasciitis,” 2004;46[4]:174-178).

While appreciating the complexity of this type of therapy, I would find it difficult to persuade someone to pay the required $895. Painful heels are not limited to those who are “well-heeled.”

Fortunately, in our 25 years of practice, I have yet to find a patient who failed to respond to conservative therapy (exercise, orthotics, NSAIDs) or, as a last resort, one or two injections of cortisone into the heel.

The high-tech aspects of shock wave therapy are appealing, but is this just another machine in search of diseases to treat?

—Bernhard Toews, MD
Coquitlam

Bernhard Toews, MD. Re: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy. BCMJ, Vol. 46, No. 6, July, August, 2004, Page(s) 275 - Letters.


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