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Plantar fasciitis is an acute or chronic, painful disorder of the plantar fascia that spans between the medial calcaneal tubercle of the heel and the proximal phalanges of the toes. Shockwave therapy can effectively reduce the discomfort you are currently feeling as a standalone treatment or work in parallel with other treatments you may already be receiving.
Fast
Treatments are quick and typically take around 5 minutes to 15 minutes depending on the treatment site.
Non-invasive
Shockwave therapy doesn't require injections or surgery and is a great alternative to sterioid injections.
Effective
Shockwave is shown to reduce the average pain score from 8.5/10 to 1.5/10 within four weekly sessions.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of plantar heel pain, accounting for approximately 11-15% of foot symptoms presented to healthcare providers. The main symptom is heel pain, particularly in the morning or after a period of rest. Often patients report improvement in pain after walking. Pain is usually located at the origin of the plantar fascia, your heel (medial calcaneal tubercle). Passive dorsiflexion of the toes may aggravate the pain in some patients, particularly if you are suffering from chronic Plantar Fasciitis. It is not uncommon for those suffering from chronic Plantar Fasciitis to also experience heel pad swelling.
Tried everything else?
Heel pain doesn't discriminate. Both athletes and those over 50 years old commonly present to osteopaths with plantar fasciopathy (PF). The treatment of PF typically starts with conservative treatment modalities, including rest, osteopathy, physiotherapy, stretching, exercises, shoe inserts/orthotics, night splints, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and local corticosteroid injections. We appreciate that you will likely have had this problem for some time and may have tried some, if not all, of the aforementioned forms of treatment before considering shockwave therapy. Making sure that your current treatment is optimal is an important first step. We strongly recommend shockwave therapy in conjunction with some form of strengthening exercise, load management and footwear change/orthotic use.
How does shockwave work, and what can I expect?
Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment for sub-acute and chronic musculoskeletal issues. The treatment involves directing ultrasound shockwaves at the heel and base of your foot. The shockwaves promote increased blood circulation and metabolism in the impact area, which accelerates the healing processes.
In the short term, most people see an improvement in their symptoms. This is due to a change in the way the body perceives pain. In the longer term, shockwave has been shown to help assist with fascia healing.
Not all shockwave is the same. It is important to realise that not all shockwave machines are equal and that your treatment at Movement Mechanics Osteopathy is conducted in line with international best practices. Our EMS Radial shockwave machine has robust clinical data to support its use.