When you start to feel a pain in the heel of your foot, you may suspect that you have plantar fasciitis. Heel pain is a common complaint we get from our patients and you may be surprised to hear that SoftWave therapy can provide some relief. If you experience heel pain on a regular basis, sit back, put your feet up and read about Plantar Fasciitis and what you can do about it in today’s blog:
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar Fasciitis is inflammation of the strong fibrous band of tissue on the bottom of the foot. It often runs from the heel of your foot all the way to the balls of your foot.
What causes Plantar Fasciitis?
There are a few things that can cause plantar fasciitis, it occurs when tissue on the bottom of your foot becomes inflamed or irritated. This can happen when the arch of the foot is flattened. It can also occur when there is excess stress from repeated activity, especially rapid pushing off. So if you are a runner or play racquet sports, you could be at risk for plantar fasciitis.
When this band of tissue becomes inflamed, it causes the proliferation of scar tissue. Scar tissue is less elastic than healthy tissue so when scar tissue builds up in the plantar fascia and it is repeatedly aggravated (meaning you are continuing to run and play sports) a chronic condition can result. When you get to the point of an occurrence of chronic plantar fasciitis, simple activities such as going up and down stairs suddenly becomes exquisitely painful.
How Can You Treat Plantar Fasciitis?
There are a variety of treatment options available, and they vary from self-help to surgery. We will detail a few options below:
- Self-help
Using orthotics to support the arch more or rolling the foot on a frozen water bottle are two DIY techniques for dealing with your plantar fasciitis. - Conservative Approach
Before trying medical intervention, massage and physical therapy are both great options.
- Traditional Medical Route
Pursuing the traditional medical route would likely begin with collagen injections and ultimately culminate in surgery. - There Is Another Way! SoftWave Tissue Regeneration Therapy
SoftWave TRT creates a healing response without drugs or rupturing the cell membranes. A healing response begins with a down-regulation of inflammation.
How Does SoftWave TRT Thearpy Work?
SoftWave TRT Therapy, also referred to as Shockwave therapy, utilizes shockwaves that travel from the applicator into the affected area. The effect stimulates a healing response at the cell level. Encouraging your body to go through a process called angiogenesis where it produces new blood vessels, brings more blood in for healing and begins the body’s natural healing response. Finally, SoftWave causes the activation and aggregation of our own stem-cells, the precursor for all tissue repair. While this healing process takes place over a 10 – 12 week period, many patients have shared that they feel pain relief right away.
We would love to have the opportunity to see how SoftWave can heal your Plantar Fasciitis. If you’re interested in giving SoftWave a try for yourself, give us a call at 845-344-0444 to set up your appointment.