Calcaneal spur and
plantar fasciitis are the most common causes of plantar heel
pain. There are many effective physical modalities for treating this musculoskeletal disorder. So far, the are no clear recommendations confirming the clinical utility of high-intensity
laser therapy (HILT) in the management of painful
calcaneal spur with
plantar fasciitis. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of HILT in
pain management in patients with
calcaneal spur and
plantar fasciitis. A group of 65 patients was assessed for eligibility based on the CONSORT guidelines. This study was prospectively registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry platform (registration number ACTRN12618000744257, 3 May 2018). The main eligibility criteria were:
cancer, pregnancy, electronic and
metal implants, acute
infections, impaired blood coagulation,
cardiac arrhythmias, taking
analgesic or anti-inflammatory medications, non-experience of heel
pain, or presence of other painful foot conditions. Finally, 60 patients were randomly assigned into two groups: study group (
n = 30, mean age 59.9 ± 10.1), treated with HILT (7 W, 149.9 J/cm2, 1064 nm, 4496 J, 12 min), and placebo-controlled group (
n = 30, mean age 60.4 ± 11.9), treated with
sham HILT
therapy. Both groups received ultrasound treatments (0.8 W/cm2, 1 MHz frequency, 100% load
factor, 5 min). Treatment procedures were performed once a day, five times per week for three weeks (total of 15 treatment sessions). Study outcomes focused on
pain intensity and were assessed before (M1) and after (M2) the treatment as well as after 4 (M3) and 12 (M4) weeks using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Laitinen
Pain Scale (LPS). According to
VAS, a statistically significant decrease in the study group was observed between M1 and M2 by 3.5 pts, M1 and M3 by 3.7 pts, and M1 and M4 by 3.2 pts (p < 0.001). On the other hand, the control group showed a statistically significant decrease (p < 0.001) between M1 and M2 by 3.0 pts, M1 and M3 by 3.4 pts, and M1 and M4 by 3.2 pts. According to LPS, a statistically significant decrease in the study group was observed between M1 and M2 by 3.9 pts, M1 and M3 by 4.2 pts, and M1 and M4 by 4.0 pts (p < 0.001). On the other hand, the control group showed a statistically significant decrease between M1 and M2 by 3.2 pts (p = 0.002), M1 and M3 by 4.0 pts (p < 0.001), and M1 and M4 by 3.9 pts (p < 0.001). However, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups in VAS and LPS (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the HILT does not appear to be more effective in
pain management of patients with
calcaneal spurs and
plantar fasciitis than the conservative standard physiotherapeutic procedures.