Anyone had shockwave therapy?

[badatmath]

Foot doctor suggested shockwave as an option (among other bad ones). . . wondering if anyone has had it and if it helped? My understanding is it is rather painful for some days after.

 

[RetiredHappy]

What is the doctor wanting to shock?

 

[badatmath]

It is for the plantar fasciitis they persist in telling me I have despite having ZERO heel pain. He gave me a medrol dose pack and offered shock wave and some other options that I am iffy on. Certainly the other doctors have not been of any use, nor has PT.

 

[CaptTom]

My first thought would be whether or not this is a "real" doctor. I'll leave out my opinions on what that means.

You say there's no pain, and you don't think you have this condition. So what symptoms you're trying to treat? I'm genuinely curious. I know very little about plantar Fasciitis, but I hear a lot about it and figure I should be better informed.

 

[badatmath]

My first thought would be whether or not this is a "real" doctor. I'll leave out my opinions on what that means.

You say there's no pain, and you don't think you have this condition. So what symptoms you're trying to treat? I'm genuinely curious. I know very little about plantar Fasciitis, but I hear a lot about it and figure I should be better informed.

No I said there was no HEEL pain, not that there was no pain. It's just all at the front attachment of the PF and the inflammation is very visible on ultrasound. A number of doctors have agreed with the PF diagnosis. I'm just skeptical due to lack of improvement.

 

[RetiredHappy]

What are the symptoms?

 

[Koolau]

Has the doctor fitted you with prosthetic inserts yet? After years of suffering, that was all I needed. It was an amazing transformation.

Never heard of shockwave therapy. I hope you get some resolution soon. PF is painful.

 

[RetiredHappy]

I have loose ligaments where the front of my feet and back of my feet can be twisted in opposite directions. I did have heal pain and for several decades and I was told that I had PS. Finally another podiatrist diagnosed it as unstable bilateral joints in my feet. I had custom orthotics made and it stabilized my feet and it has really helped.

 

[G-Money]

IMO, if your doctor is someone you generally trust for health advice, I doubt soliciting the general public's opinion or (most likely) lack of education/understanding on a particular treatment is going to help. Hopefully you will find a few patients who have received the treatment who can share their experience candidly.

Since I had never heard of it (my own lack of education/understanding) I did some basic reading. My takeaway was: Minimally invasive, usually doesn't require anesthesia, with most patients reporting low/no discomfort, with no restrictions on movement post-procedure, and it yields better short and long term results than NSAIDs, steroid injections, and laser therapy. If my doctor was offering this to me for a condition I was suffering I'd ask when's the next available appointment...but that's just me.

 

[pacergal]

I have tried piezo wave therapy for my knee arthritis, not sure this is the same as what your dr would do. When they hit the injured area, it hurts! but they adjust the sound wave strength to what you can tolerate. The area can be a bit sore after.
It was somewhat helpful.
When I had PF, I used inserts, did frozen golf ball roll exercises on my foot and wore Dansko clogs for years. Have never had a return.

 

[FREE866]

Ived had PF

What worked for me:

Sleeping with the strassburg sock nightly

Deep calf stretches a few times a day

That ball with spikes on it. Rolling it back and forth under the foot a few times a day. Same concept as using a golf ball I guess.

Good luck!

 

[badatmath]

I only asked here to see if anyone personally had it. I found some patients online saying it did not help but some said it actively made them worse. I have been through enough "treatment" that made me worse than when I started. Think I will go with one of his other suggestions.

 

[big-papa]

I only asked here to see if anyone personally had it. I found some patients online saying it did not help but some said it actively made them worse. I have been through enough "treatment" that made me worse than when I started. Think I will go with one of his other suggestions.

To answer your question, no I haven't. I only recently came across it and someday might read up more on it.

Cheers.

 

[Deej]

Husband had shock therapy on his knee along with other treatments. Nope, it did nothing for him. Money tossed out the window, I suppose. He went through the usual protocols for bone on bone issue. Nothing is worked. Has to wait 6 weeks to see a knee surgeon...long wait...then another long wait to surgery. In the meantime, he's now back in PT, getting massages for the muscles+, and using a cane.

 

[badatmath]

Yeah sorry to hear about your hubby I found quite a few people saying it did not help them but the more concerning reports to me were "made it worse". I was offered a pretty good variety of options this time (maybe too many). I've been failing to heal or heel? since 2006.

 

[RetiredHappy]

So the pain is closer to the middle of the foot?

 

[badatmath]

So the pain is closer to the middle of the foot?

No, directly south of the big toe where it has an attachment point. It is unlikely I will ever get rid of it but hopefully it can be reduced somewhat as its in a sad state and hurts 24/7.

 

[FIREd_2015]

I've had plantar fasciitis for years. I went to a podiatrist a couple of weeks ago and she offered me a cortisone shot which I accepted. The podiatrist said if the cortisone shot doesn't work then I can try shockwave therapy and it would be typically 3 treatments. I went home and read various research papers that said shockwave therapy is no more effective than stretching and strengthening exercises so that's what I've been doing 3-4 times a day. So far so good but I won't know until the effects of the cortisone wears off.

 

[RetiredHappy]

No, directly south of the big toe where it has an attachment point. It is unlikely I will ever get rid of it but hopefully it can be reduced somewhat as its in a sad state and hurts 24/7.

Have you tried custom orthotics? They are very expensive but it had helped me tremendously.

 

[badatmath]

Have you tried custom orthotics? They are very expensive but it had helped me tremendously.

Yep, thanks.

 

[Joseph]

I just starting shockwave for shoulder bones spurs/ moderate to advancing arthritis. The jist of it is is suppose to break down spurs enough to have some reabsorbed into body instead of surgery. Also breaks down scar tissue, adhesions etc. It’s not quack therapy at all. Probably not as good as hyped but a solid add on to PT. Will report back in a month.

 

[badatmath]

I had a laser therapy session today and tech said shock wave therapy is 1-3 days of recovery for most people which is consistent with what I read but since I was sitting there I always ask questions.

 

[elvis76]

Foot doctor suggested shockwave as an option (among other bad ones). . . wondering if anyone has had it and if it helped? My understanding is it is rather painful for some days after.

I’ve heard mixed things about shockwave therapy. Some people swear by it for chronic issues, but the recovery can be pretty uncomfortable for a few days. It really seems to depend on what exactly you’re treating, so good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[bmcgonig]

Attia had a radiation oncologist from Houston on a while back on his podcast. He was speaking about the successes he had with plantar fasciitis using low dose radiation therapy. He mentioned two surgeons that had it who couldn’t stand because of it and were cured. Medicare covers it

 

[Buckeye]

I had a bad case of plantar fasciitis and a pair of Keen shoes resolved 95% of the pain instantly. I was given custom orthotics by the VA but it was the Keen shoes that made the difference. They have all the attributes that podiatrists like. I've only worn my Keens for the last 2 years and my PF hasn't returned. They have a good sale going on right now.

The VA is now offering shockwave therapy (no profit motive involved) but it's only available to patients who are in the pain clinic. I don't know what conditions it's used for.

I have found acupuncture to be helpful for multiple issues. My current acupuncturist (Community Care through the VA) has been a life saver. I have been having bad pain in my left glute to the point where I could barely stand. My acupuncturist does a fascia release massage (a dry massage that is very painful but with awesome pain relief results), Chinese massage, and traditional needle acupuncture. I have been doing PT for 6 weeks but my first visit with her was life-altering (in a good way) because of the amount of pain reduction that persisted and improved for 2 days. The acupuncturist had told me on my first visit that an 80 year old vet had had amazing results with the fascia release. I told her that I knew what he was talking about!