Heel Pain Treatment: ESWT

Many women choose to wear high heels, but heels usually result in a great deal of heel pain. Although we'd love to see you in sneakers, we realize that there will be times you choose to wear your heels.

Because of the structure of the heel, a great deal of pressure is exerted on the heel, resulting in pain. Recently, our office has begun a new, non-invasive heel pain treatment called Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT). Here's some information on the treatment.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy, or simply ESWT, is an FDA approved non-invasive or non-incision treatment for Plantar Fasciitis. Plantar Fasciitis is characterized by pain described as stabbing, burning, or aching in the heel of the foot where the fascia attaches to the calcaneus. ESWT is also used to successfully treat the Achilles tendon and heel pain. ESWT therapy has a success rate of approximately 80% which is comparable to its invasive counter parts (surgery). However, ESWT is preferable in the long run because of the greatly reduced risk of scarring and infection.

ESWT produces an acute or new injury to treat a chronic or persistent condition. The therapy triggers the body’s own repair mechanisms resulting in increased vascularization, blood flow, tendon elasticity and enhanced tendon healing. An analgesic or pain relieving effect also results from the sound wave bombardment. This procedure is done in our office under a local anesthetic.