Every time we walk, jog or sprint, structures on our feet
work harmoniously to carry our own body weight and to keep us balanced to
prevent us from falling. Our feet are designed to handle heavy loads and stress
from all sorts of activities, but even this perfectly-made structure has its
limits.
Being overweight, engaging in extreme sports, or even
neglecting simple stretching routines before regular exercise can potentially
harm or cause damage to any structure of the feet causing foot pain. It is
estimated that about 75% of Americans will experience some type of foot problem
over the course of their lifetime. Heel pain is the most common form of foot
problem which typically affects two vital parts: plantar fascia and the
Achilles tendon.
The plantar fascia is a thick connective tissue located at
the bottom of the foot. It spans between the calcaneal bone or heel bone to the
proximal phalanges of the toes. The plantar fascia is vital in maintaining the
arch of the foot, therefore, is constantly under stress when walking, running
or any activity involving the foot. A very painful and chronic pathology
involving the structure is called plantar fasciitis.
The Achilles tendon is the thickest tendon in the human body
and is located at the back of foot. A tendon connects muscles to bone; hence,
the Achilles tendon connects the upper calf muscles (plantaris, gastrocnemius
and soleus) to the heel bone below. The pathology involving this structure is
called Achilles tendinitis.
Both plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis involves
micro injuries resulting to inflammation and pain, which is in fact easy to
treat if given enough time to heal. Unfortunately, most patients take pain
medications, masking the pain, allowing them to continue with their activities.
This actually causes more injury to these structures leading chronic heel pain.
The Role of ESWT in Treating Chronic Heel Pain
ESWT or Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy is a non-invasive,
non-surgical treatment for intense, persistent heel pain associated with
chronic plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis. Extracorporeal is a medical
procedure done outside the body. Shockwave or sound pressure generated by the
ESWT machine is focused on targeted tissue to stimulate the body’s own healing
mechanism to repair the chronically damaged tissues.
ESWT is recommended to patients diagnosed with chronic heel
pain for more than six months and have failed to respond conservative
treatments like rest, physical therapy, pain medications, steroid injections,
orthotics, casting, and the like. In the past, surgical intervention for
chronic heel pain was recommended when all other non-surgical treatments fail.
Today, ESWT is available as an effective alternative, non-invasive treatment
for chronic heel pain.
