You’ve been living with heel pain for months, maybe even years — it’s time to address it once and for all.
Whether you’re dealing with Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, nerve damage, stress fractures, or any other type of foot or heel pain, there’s a good chance that shockwave therapy can help, even if other treatments have failed.
Kelly L. Geoghan, DPM, specializes in diagnosing and treating all types of foot and ankle pain and knows how frustrating it can be to walk around on a painful heel. For stubborn conditions that haven’t responded to traditional treatments, she offers extracorporeal shockwave therapy, an innovative, noninvasive way to accelerate healing.
Here’s what you need to know about shockwave therapy for chronic heel pain, from the initial procedure through the healing and recovery phases.
Shockwave therapy uses high-energy sound waves to stimulate healing in damaged tissues. Initially developed to break down kidney stones, it’s now widely used to treat musculoskeletal conditions, including chronic heel pain.
The handheld device sends ultrasonic vibrations through your skin to the affected area. This creates microtrauma, telling your body to kick into healing mode. Increased blood flow to the area triggers new blood vessel formation so your damaged tissues repair faster.
The sound waves also break down existing calcifications and fibrous scar tissues.
Not only is shockwave therapy noninvasive, but it’s also pretty painless. Here’s what to expect from beginning to end.
You sit or lie down in a comfortable position in our treatment room. We clean the treatment area and apply a gel to your skin to help transmit the shockwaves.
Dr. Geoghan uses a handheld device to deliver shockwaves to the affected area during the treatment. You might feel some discomfort, but most patients tolerate the sensation well. She can adjust the intensity based on your comfort level. Sessions typically last about 15-20 minutes.
After the procedure, it’s normal to experience some redness and swelling in the treated area, but it usually subsides within a few hours. Most people resume normal activities immediately, but Dr. Geoghan recommends avoiding strenuous exercise for a few days.
With this treatment, you may notice that results come in waves.
In the first few days following the treatment, you may have a reduction in pain and inflammation due to the immediate increase in blood flow and the breakdown of calcifications.
Over the next few weeks, your body’s natural healing processes continue to work in the treatment area — new blood vessels form, and tissue regeneration takes place. You might experience intermittent pain as the tissues heal, but most of our patients say they feel 50%-60% better after six weeks.
Full recovery can take several months. If you’re like most of our patients, you can expect to notice 90%-100% improvement after three months. During this time, follow Dr. Geoghan’s aftercare instructions, including specific exercises to strengthen your foot and ankle and prevent future issues.
If you’re tired of living with heel pain, discuss it with Dr. Geoghan. She can guide you through the process and help determine if it’s the right choice for you. Call Kelly L. Geoghan, DPM, in Lutherville, Maryland, or request an appointment online.
