Shockwave Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis: What to Expect

It can take several months for plantar fasciitis to heal. If you live an active life, the prolonged recovery is frustrating.

Our skilled and innovative podiatrist, Dr. Richard Hochman, provides the most current treatments available for foot care, helping patients get back on their feet fast. He specializes in treating plantar fasciitis and offers shockwave therapy to speed up the healing process.

Are you considering shockwave therapy for your plantar fasciitis? Then you need to know what to expect.

How does shockwave therapy work?

Shockwave therapy sounds like an ancient form of torture, but it’s far from that. It’s an innovative treatment that uses high-intensity soundwaves that stimulate the healing process. 

It works by increasing blood flow to the damaged tissue, activating the cells needed to heal the damage, and breaking up any calcified tissue. It also reduces pain by overstimulating the nerve endings. 

It’s a noninvasive treatment that may help you avoid more invasive treatments like injections or surgery. It’s used to treat chronic conditions that affect the muscles, bones, ligaments, or cartilage, including plantar fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the ligament that runs along the bottom of the foot, connecting the heel to the toes and creating the foot arch. It’s a common overuse injury that causes heel pain after periods of rest or exercise. 

Time, over-the-counter anti-inflammatories, stretching exercises, and physical therapy are the usual treatments for plantar fasciitis. But when this doesn’t work, you may benefit from shockwave therapy. 

Shockwave therapy: What to expect

We perform shockwave therapy at the office. To improve comfort, we inject a local anesthetic into the ankle so you feel as little pain as possible. We then apply a gel to the skin and place the shockwave probe on the area of the foot in need of treatment.

The probe sends compressed shockwaves into the tissue. You may feel some pressure and mild pain during therapy, but we adjust the intensity of the shockwaves based on your tolerance level. Treatment takes about 15-20 minutes per foot.

You may feel some discomfort when the anesthetic wears off. There’s no downtime following therapy and you can go back to usual after your session, including exercise if you’re up for it.

Results from shockwave therapy

Many people feel improvements in their heel pain immediately after their first shockwave therapy session. But plantar fasciitis takes time to heal, and we recommend a series of two to three sessions every 6-12 weeks to get the best results. 

Studies show that shockwave therapy is an effective treatment for plantar fasciitis that provides long-term results.

Once we heal the inflamed tissue, we create a plan to prevent a recurrence of your heel pain, which may include:

• Change in shoewear 
• Custom orthotics for better arch support
• A before and after exercise stretching routine
• Activity modifications

Shockwave therapy relieves plantar fasciitis pain right away and speeds up the healing process. 

If your heel pain is keeping you from your active lifestyle, we can help. Call our Coral Gables, Florida, office today or request an appointment online.