One day you wake up, and all of a sudden you have a pain that you have never had before. The pain is in your heel. You soon discover that you can’t walk like you are used to doing. It is really painful. You are not the only one who has this problem. It happens to many people, and because it happens so suddenly, they are not prepared for it. This type of pain is known as plantar fascititis. Another more common name for it is heel spur syndrome.
Many people who have pain in the heel, also complain about having pain in the arch of the foot also. These people who have this problem will tell you that the pain in these areas are worse in the morning, when they first get up. They also may complain that when they sit for any length of time, the pain will get worse. These people can’t walk for any length of time. So let’s find out what has been done medically to help them.
The good news is, that if you have this problem, you do not have to continue suffering from pain in the heel or arch because there is a treatment for it. Do I hear you say, “Do I have to have surgery?” The answer is definitely not.
There is now a treatment that is considered to be very successful. This treatment is known as Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT). It has been approved by the FDA. This type of treatment is considered to be safe for pain in the heel and arch.
Now let’s find out more about this treatment. It is a non-invasive type of treatment that delivers high-energy sound waves to the heel or arch. These sound waves promote normal tissue healing. It is interesting to know, that this type of treatment is also used to treat kidney stones.
The good news about this treatment is that the success rate is considered to be 80 percent. Also, with this method, there are no complications associated with surgery because there are no incisions.
This procedure is done in the outpatient surgery center using monitored light sedation and a local anesthetic.
The other favorable remarks to make about this procedure is that there are fewer side effects, less discomfort and a shorter recovery time than with surgery.
Patients are generally able to walk immediately after this procedure. Usually, only one treatment is required.
Source: Foot and Ankle Institute