Plantar Fasciitis Relief: What to Expect During and After Shockwave Therapy

If you suffer from heel pain, chances are good that it’s due to plantar fasciitis. This condition is the most common cause of heel pain in adults in the United States. The good news is, we have effective treatment options to relieve your heel pain and get you back to walking with comfort and ease.

At Town Center Foot & Ankle of Kingwood, Texas, expert podiatrist Dr. Stephen G. Eichelsdorfer (“Dr. Ike”) offers extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) for plantar fasciitis. In this blog, Dr. Ike explains how this type of treatment works and what you can expect during and after ESWT.

Relieving plantar fasciitis

The plantar fascia are bands of tissue that run along the bottom of your feet. Each of your feet has one. You need strong, flexible plantar fascia to connect your heel bones with the front of your feet.

Plantar fasciitis, or inflammation of this band of tissue, occurs for a number of reasons. Your body weight, the shape of the arches of your feet, and the amount of time you spend on your feet all make a difference in your risk for this condition, as does your age. 

Athletes, runners, and dancers often struggle with plantar fasciitis. You’re most likely to develop plantar fasciitis between ages 40-60, but it can affect people of all ages.

The main symptom of plantar fasciitis is heel pain, which may be worse in the morning, as you’re just getting up. Without treatment, heel pain can make it difficult to get around or complete your usual daily activities.

ESWT for plantar fasciitis: What to expect

At Town Center Foot & Ankle, we offer several types of treatment for heel pain, including shockwave therapy. ESWT is a noninvasive treatment that can make a big difference in your condition and may help you avoid surgery. 

You may also benefit from:

• Custom orthotics for better arch support
• Physical therapy
• Cortisone injections to reduce inflammation in your body

During treatment, we apply ultrasound gel to your feet and use the probe tool to direct waves of ultrasound energy to your painful heels.

The microtrauma that these shockwaves create triggers your body to mount a response that works to accelerate healing in your damaged plantar fascia. ESWT can break down calcification buildup and stimulate new blood vessel growth. 

The strong stimulation of the nerve endings in your heels during treatment can also reset your pain response, relieving your heel pain right away.

You may feel some discomfort during treatment and can experience pain, bruising, or swelling for a short time afterward. For your treatment session, we give you local anesthesia, so you need a little downtime and support with driving after your appointment. A session takes less than half an hour to complete.

Your results with ESWT

ESWT can quickly reduce your pain levels, as well as trigger healing over the weeks after your treatment session. But while studies show that shockwave therapy is effective for plantar fasciitis treatment, individual responses may vary, and this treatment doesn’t work for everybody.

Shockwave therapy pairs well with other treatments for plantar fasciitis, which may increase effectiveness. In some cases, repeat treatments provide better pain relief. You may need 3-5 treatment sessions, spaced apart, to enjoy the best possible results.

To learn more, contact Dr. Ike at Town Center Foot & Ankle now. Don’t delay seeking treatment. Request your  appointment online or over the phone today.