If you are suffering from an injury or condition affecting your foot or ankle, you know how tough it is to endure. Not only does foot or ankle pain make you uncomfortable, it also severely impacts your activities. Fortunately, there are many treatments available through a podiatrist that can alleviate pain and other symptoms associated with foot and ankle injuries and conditions. One such example is Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (SWT), commonly referred to as shockwave therapy. This is a treatment modality offered to patients with various chronic musculoskeletal conditions, including foot and ankle problems. It has been in use since the 1990s.
Shockwave therapy is noninvasive and utilizes high-energy shockwaves to produce the desired effects. Shockwave therapy treatment can stimulate the body’s natural healing process and accelerate the healing of soft tissue injuries by boosting circulation. It also has a positive effect on nerve endings. By overstimulating them, it can relieve chronic pain.
What Shockwave Therapy Can Treat
There are a number of orthopedic conditions currently being treated by shockwave therapy, including:
- Tennis elbow
- Golfer’s elbow
- Jumper’s knee
- Tendonitis
- Plantar fasciitis
- Achilles tendonopathy
- Retrocalcaneal bursitis
- Morton’s neuroma
- Non-union stress fractures
For shockwave therapy to work, high-energy waves or pulses need to be focused on the affected tissue. For instance, if you are suffering from heel pain due to plantar fasciitis, the device will be directed at the heel. Additionally, calcific deposits, such as bone spurs, may be dissolved by the high energy waves.
Other benefits of shockwave therapy include the stimulation of osteoblasts, which are the cells needed in the production of new bones and bone healing. It also stimulates fibroblasts, which are needed to heal injuries of the connective tissues. By overwhelming nerve endings in the affected area, you may experience pain relief because the effect of high energy shockwaves on nerves also includes a recalibration of perceived pain.
In order to reap the benefits of shockwave therapy, make sure you receive high energy shockwaves, not low energy. The latter are unable to break the sound barrier and produce the positive effects of shockwave therapy. Rarely is shockwave therapy used as a standalone treatment. Often, it is combined with other therapies to relieve chronic pain, such as physical therapy and the use of custom orthotics. In fact, you will have the best outcomes when shockwave therapy is part of a comprehensive treatment/rehabilitation plan.
Shockwave Therapy For Foot and Ankle Pain in South Texas
If you are experiencing foot and ankle pain due to condition or injury and have not found relief, the highly skilled and experienced foot and ankle doctors at the Podiatry Group of South Texas can help. We offer a variety of treatment options to patients suffering from orthopedic injuries or conditions, including shockwave therapy.
To request an appointment, call the Podiatry Group of South Texas clinic nearest you or submit a request now. Our friendly team of physicians and staff looks forward to serving you in one of our clinics throughout South Texas.
