Eliminating Persistent Heel Pain with Advanced Shockwave Therapy

As medical technology advances, we’re getting better at addressing issues without needing to make a single incision. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a perfect example here. 

Extracorporeal means that it occurs outside your body. By generating therapeutic shockwaves and directing them through your skin into your heel, we may be able to help you get lasting relief from chronic pain. 

Christopher Vittori, DPM, and Ameet Thakrar, DPM, offer this leading-edge treatment at our Vittori Foot & Ankle Specialist offices in Homer Glen and New Lenox, Illinois. As experts in heel pain, we can help you decide if shockwave therapy is right for you. It’s particularly helpful if you’re dealing with plantar fasciitis, inflammation in the thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot. 

Using shockwaves to treat chronic heel pain

ESWT might be a good option if your plantar fasciitis hasn’t responded to more conservative treatments like physical therapy or orthotics. If you’re still feeling that sharp, stabbing heel pain, shockwaves give Dr. Thakrar or Dr. Vittori a way to target the problem.

As its name suggests, shockwave therapy works by sending waves of energy into the problem part of your body. These waves create tiny injuries in the area. 

That might seem counterintuitive when you’re already dealing with inflamed tissue. But these microtraumas help to kickstart your body’s natural regenerative processes.

Your body responds in a number of ways that help to resolve persistent heel pain: the shockwave therapy helps to get more blood flowing into the area, bringing in nutrients to help the plantar fascia heal, while opening your cells up to better receive those nutrients. 

If you’re living with chronic pain from plantar fasciitis, ESWT can give you a noninvasive way to get relief. We’ve found that about 80% of our patients get long-term relief with it. And it’s not just us. Studies have found it over 90% effective, too. 

What to expect with ESWT

If we determine that you’re a good candidate for shockwave therapy, we set up your first appointment. At it, you lie down and we apply a gel to your heel. This allows the probe to deliver the shockwaves more effectively through your skin. We then activate the probe, and you’ll feel the resulting compressed air pulses. Treatment usually takes about 15 minutes.

Most people with chronic heel pain need a series of ESWT treatments for best results. We tend to recommend between three and five sessions spaced one to two weeks apart. 

At the first one, we use low-energy pulses. Then, we scale up the intensity at each successive visit. That said, if the sensation ever gets too intense, we can turn it down. Some people find shockwave therapy uncomfortable, but it shouldn’t be outright painful. 

You don’t need to take any time off work or school afterward. Avoid strenuous activities for 48 hours. If your heel feels sore, you can take an over-the-counter pain medication, but make sure it doesn’t have anti-inflammatory properties. That can inhibit your body’s healing response. 

To explore shockwave therapy for yourself, call our team at Vittori Foot & Ankle Specialist, or schedule your appointment online today.