Read our patient’s experience treating Plantar Fasciitis successfully with Shockwave Therapy
Since the introduction of shockwave therapy here at Physio-logical we have treated many patients with chronic plantar fasciitis. So, does shockwave therapy work for Plantar Fasciitis? The results of treatment are promising with regard to the use of shockwave therapy. A recent example of this was a female patient presenting with pain in the middle of her heel brought on by an increase in outdoor walking in November 2023.
What is Plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis, also known as ‘plantar heel pain’ is a painful condition of the foot caused by repetitive strain to the plantar fascia. This is a fibrous band of soft tissue connecting your heel bone to your toes. It’s main function is to support the arch of your foot, acting as a shock absorber when making contact with the ground.
Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain, occurring in around 10% of the general population. It usually responds well to conservative physiotherapy treatment such as massage and stretching, however it will likely take on average six months to fully resolve. This is because you spend so much time up on your feet making it hard to effectively rest the inflamed area and provide the required conditioning to enhance healing.
This is where Radial shockwave therapy can be influential
The shockwave treatment allows effective non-invasive stimulation over the plantar fascia, encouraging rapid generation of new blood vessels which in turn triggers the natural healing response. Damaged or injured tissues within the plantar fascia will begin to repair and cause the associated pain to reduce.
Radial shockwave therapy will be combined with conservative treatment and management techniques to ensure the most effective treatment approach is being carried out. As the pain settles stretching and mobilisation of the plantar fascia will become more tolerable which helps to free up movement making activities such as walking easier and less pain provoking.
Case Study – how Shockwave therapy helped treat our patient’s Plantar Fasciitis
A female patient presenting with pain in the middle of her heel brought on by an increase in outdoor walking. She was noticing pain after a couple minutes of walking which was making it difficult for her to do normal activities of daily living. For example, she had started to notice that when food shopping she was becoming dependent on the trolley to help take weight off her foot. She had also stopped doing longer outdoor walks (longer than 15 minutes) due to increased pain afterwards.
As the patient had been feeling the pain for over three months it was advised that shockwave therapy would be the most appropriate treatment.
Furthermore, based on the timeline of her injury it was agreed that three treatment sessions would be the optimal amount to improve recovery. In January 2024 she received three shockwave sessions alongside exercise prescription; sessions were spaced one week apart. She has now completed a follow up session in February where she indicated no pain during short walks up to 20 minutes and able to do a food shop without relying on the trolley. We will now aim to utilise physiotherapy follow up sessions to continue to develop an exercise plan and track her progress in mobility. With the goal to be able to build up her walking distance without triggering pain. Shockwave therapy has helped to speed up her recovery time from 6 months to an expected 3 months.
If you are struggling with pain around your Achilles or heel bone and finding it difficult to put weight through your foot then please enquire today about receiving radial shockwave treatment.
To book your shockwave appointments with Physio-logical, based in Rowlands Castle, Hampshire then please book online, call 023 9435 0270 or email us at enquiries@physio-logical.net.
