Why is your shockwave therapy not stopping your heel pain?

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Heel pain can stop you in your tracks from the moment you get out of bed your heel can be unbearable. Our patients describe not being able to put their heel to the floor, hobbling to the shower or toilet only to get a slight relief but then for their pain to come back later in the day! It stops you functioning and stops you from all the activities you love!

When you have this pain you search and cling to answers. Many patients are sadly told by their GP there is nothing they can do. They may be given hard insoles or orthotics by well-meaning practitioners or lately they are prescribed Shockwave!!!

Shockwave is the latest treatment for this debilitating condition. Shockwaves cause micro trauma to the diseased tendon tissue. This results in inflammation, which allows the body to send healing cells and increase the blood flow to the injured site.

While we make the application of this technology sound very simple, in the wrong hands and if you don’t have experience applying this in practice, this therapy can at best not work, and at other times in the worst case scenario, make your condition worse. Anyone can hold a Dentist drill but would you let anyone do your filling for you?

Our team of therapist at A Step Ahead Foot + Ankle care have been using this technology for a number of years we see approximately 8 to 12 patients a day using this technology. Our staff unlike others who have adopted this therapy lately, have a great deal of experience and are continuously looking at ways which will increase the effectiveness of the therapy.

Along with the experience our practitioners have comes the knowledge that in almost all cases shockwave therapy by itself will not fix you ………yes you heard correctly!

When patients visit us for heel pain and other muscular problems yes we do often use Shock wave, however it is only part of a treatment plan. We also give you advice on the right foot wear, stretching, possible taping and analysis your walk and run to assess if you need soft comfortable orthoses.  Shock wave may also not be right for you our Podiatrist may decide you are better suited to other soft tissue therapies we use.

So while Shock wave can be an excellent tool in the fight against chronic heel pain. Without experience and used in the wrong way, or used in isolation the success rate of this therapy drops dramatically.

At A Step Ahead Foot and Ankle care we have been successfully treating people for heel pain for at least 15 years. If you are suffering from Heel pain we would really like to help you. We are situated in Penrith and St Marys in Western Sydney.  You can contact us on 96732987 or 47322007.