Pain-Relieving Effects of Shockwave Therapy for Ledderhose Disease: An Ultrasound-Based Study of an Unusual Bilateral Case
Ledderhose disease (LD, or plantar fibromatosis) is a rare, nodular, hyperproliferative condition affecting the plantar aponeurosis of the foot. At present, several conservative, non-surgical treatments have been documented, although with various degrees of success, with little evidence in the liter...
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Life |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/2/169 |
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| author | Federica Fulceri Larisa Ryskalin Gabriele Morucci Francesco Busoni Paola Soldani Marco Gesi |
| author_facet | Federica Fulceri Larisa Ryskalin Gabriele Morucci Francesco Busoni Paola Soldani Marco Gesi |
| author_sort | Federica Fulceri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ledderhose disease (LD, or plantar fibromatosis) is a rare, nodular, hyperproliferative condition affecting the plantar aponeurosis of the foot. At present, several conservative, non-surgical treatments have been documented, although with various degrees of success, with little evidence in the literature supporting their efficacy. In this scenario, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has emerged as a safe, effective, and less invasive approach for the successful treatment of several refractory musculoskeletal conditions and soft tissue injuries. Again, recent experimental evidence has shown that ESWT can exert beneficial effects on different fibroproliferative diseases, including Dupuytren’s and Peyronie’s disease. In contrast, the literature regarding the use of ESWT for LD is extremely limited, and no optimal application parameters have been defined to ensure its effectiveness for this disease. Therefore, in the present paper, we report a case of a 48-year-old male patient who developed bilateral foot LD, which was successfully treated with a novel ESWT protocol of treatment consisting of three sessions at 1-week intervals, with 2000 impulses at 5 Hz with an energy flux density of 0.20 mJ/mm<sup>2</sup>. Our data show that this ESWT treatment protocol was effective in completely relieving pain, restoring full functional activity, and thus, greatly improving the patient’s quality of life. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:25:06Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:25:06Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-c3c041a6651948b388b3e1ecf04bcc922024-02-23T15:24:31ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292024-01-0114216910.3390/life14020169Pain-Relieving Effects of Shockwave Therapy for Ledderhose Disease: An Ultrasound-Based Study of an Unusual Bilateral CaseFederica Fulceri0Larisa Ryskalin1Gabriele Morucci2Francesco Busoni3Paola Soldani4Marco Gesi5Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyCenter for Rehabilitative Medicine “Sport and Anatomy”, University of Pisa, 56121 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyLedderhose disease (LD, or plantar fibromatosis) is a rare, nodular, hyperproliferative condition affecting the plantar aponeurosis of the foot. At present, several conservative, non-surgical treatments have been documented, although with various degrees of success, with little evidence in the literature supporting their efficacy. In this scenario, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has emerged as a safe, effective, and less invasive approach for the successful treatment of several refractory musculoskeletal conditions and soft tissue injuries. Again, recent experimental evidence has shown that ESWT can exert beneficial effects on different fibroproliferative diseases, including Dupuytren’s and Peyronie’s disease. In contrast, the literature regarding the use of ESWT for LD is extremely limited, and no optimal application parameters have been defined to ensure its effectiveness for this disease. Therefore, in the present paper, we report a case of a 48-year-old male patient who developed bilateral foot LD, which was successfully treated with a novel ESWT protocol of treatment consisting of three sessions at 1-week intervals, with 2000 impulses at 5 Hz with an energy flux density of 0.20 mJ/mm<sup>2</sup>. Our data show that this ESWT treatment protocol was effective in completely relieving pain, restoring full functional activity, and thus, greatly improving the patient’s quality of life.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/2/169extracorporeal shock wave therapyplantar fibromatosisLedderhose diseasebenign diseasehyperproliferationplantar fascia |
| spellingShingle | Federica Fulceri Larisa Ryskalin Gabriele Morucci Francesco Busoni Paola Soldani Marco Gesi Pain-Relieving Effects of Shockwave Therapy for Ledderhose Disease: An Ultrasound-Based Study of an Unusual Bilateral Case Life extracorporeal shock wave therapy plantar fibromatosis Ledderhose disease benign disease hyperproliferation plantar fascia |
| title | Pain-Relieving Effects of Shockwave Therapy for Ledderhose Disease: An Ultrasound-Based Study of an Unusual Bilateral Case |
| title_full | Pain-Relieving Effects of Shockwave Therapy for Ledderhose Disease: An Ultrasound-Based Study of an Unusual Bilateral Case |
| title_fullStr | Pain-Relieving Effects of Shockwave Therapy for Ledderhose Disease: An Ultrasound-Based Study of an Unusual Bilateral Case |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pain-Relieving Effects of Shockwave Therapy for Ledderhose Disease: An Ultrasound-Based Study of an Unusual Bilateral Case |
| title_short | Pain-Relieving Effects of Shockwave Therapy for Ledderhose Disease: An Ultrasound-Based Study of an Unusual Bilateral Case |
| title_sort | pain relieving effects of shockwave therapy for ledderhose disease an ultrasound based study of an unusual bilateral case |
| topic | extracorporeal shock wave therapy plantar fibromatosis Ledderhose disease benign disease hyperproliferation plantar fascia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/2/169 |
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