Chronic Heel Pain

Having a bad foot day?

You may be surprised to know that your feet are not supposed to hurt and most foot problems can be resolved with early medical intervention. If you are having a foot problem, you are not alone; twenty percent of the population seeks help for a foot problem every year.

Shocking good news for chronic heel pain

Do you or someone you know have chronic heel pain? This condition is known medically as Plantar Fasciitis.

If your answer is yes to the above question, you may be interested in a relatively new alternative treatment called extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), a non-invasive procedure in which strong sound waves are directed at the area of pain. The device used for ESWT is very similar to the one currently used in non-surgical treatments of kidney and gall-bladder stones. This device generates strong shock waves at the treatment site. The ESWT treatment takes about 30 minutes and is performed under local anaesthesia and/or ‘twilight’ anaesthesia. ESWT is an out-patient procedure and does not require an overnight stay in the hospital.

In the U.S. alone, about two million cases of heel pain are reported each year and many are debilitating. ESWT has proven to be extremely effective in treating such conditions as plantar fascitis, commonly known as heel spurs. ESWT has also been used to treat tennis elbow and Achilles tendonitis.