If you’ve tried everything—rest, physical therapy and injections—and your foot still hurts, don’t worry. You’re not alone! The good news is there’s a powerful next step: combining two powerful regenerative medicine treatments, Shockwave Therapy and PRP. Combining these two treatment options creates a powerful healing environment that neither can achieve alone.
Understanding The Treatment Problem
Most people with chronic foot pain have tried everything: anti-inflammatories, stretching, physical therapy and even cortisone injections. But when these conventional treatments fail, many assume surgery is the only remaining option. What they don’t realize? There’s an effective alternative that can help them avoid surgery altogether, as long as they choose a podiatrist familiar with regenerative medicine.
What is Shockwave Therapy? ![Shockwave Therapy to heel]()
Despite its intimidating name, Shockwave Therapy is actually a non-invasive treatment that uses acoustic pressure waves to stimulate healing. These waves are delivered through a handheld device that’s placed against the skin over the painful area. When they penetrate your tissue, they create controlled microtrauma.
Now, this may sound counterintuitive. Why would we want to cause more trauma in an area that’s already painful? The answer lies in how your body responds to this micro-trauma. The pressure waves stimulate increased blood flow to the area, which brings the oxygen and nutrients essential for healing. They also break up calcifications and scar tissue that could interfere with your recovery. Most importantly, they trigger the release of growth factors and stem cells, your body’s natural healing agents. The end result? The treatment creates pathways for healing factors to reach damaged tissue, speeding up healing.
What is PRP?
With PRP, or Platelet Rich Plasma injections, we draw a small amount of your blood. (Similar to what happens during a routine blood test.) This blood is then placed in a centrifuge, which spins it quickly to separate the different components of the blood. What we’re after is the plasma, which is rich in platelets. And that’s because platelets contain those growth factors that are important for healing. By concentrating these platelets and injecting them right where they’re needed, we can deliver a powerful healing boost directly to the damaged tissue.
Combining PRP and Shockwave Therapy for Chronic Foot Pain
As you can see, these two treatments work in completely different ways. But when used together they create a synergistic effect that can jumpstart your body’s natural healing process. How? PRP provides the ingredients for healing—the growth factors and signaling proteins that tell your body to repair your damaged tissue. Then, Shockwave Therapy activates and stimulates these ingredients, creating an ideal environment for them to work effectively.
The timing of these treatments will determine their effectiveness. Typically, we perform PRP first, delivering the healing ingredients to the damaged tissue. Then, within a few days, we begin a series of Shockwave treatments, usually once a week for three weeks. This sequence allows us to first introduce the healing factors and then repeatedly stimulate them, maximizing their effectiveness. The result is a comprehensive approach that addresses both the need for healing factors and the environment in which they work.
Which Foot Conditions Can We Treat by Combining PRP and Shockwave Therapy?
While results vary, we’ve seen remarkable success with various conditions:
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Achilles tendinopathy
- Peroneal tendonitis, which causes pain along the outside of the ankle and foot
- Stress injuries to the bone, also known as stress reactions or early stress fractures
What to Expect During Treatment
The PRP procedure begins with a blood draw, typically from your arm. While the blood is processing in the centrifuge, we prepare the injection site—depending on the treatment area, we may use ultrasound guidance to ensure precise placement. The injection itself only takes a few minutes. Some patients experience mild discomfort but it typically resolves after the injection. Still, you may notice some soreness in the area for a day or two.
Shockwave Therapy sessions usually last 10-15 minutes. During treatment you’ll feel a tapping sensation as we deliver pressure waves to the target area. We can adjust the intensity for your comfort, though mild discomfort is normal and is actually a sign that we’re treating the right spot. After each session, the treatment area may be red or sore. It typically resolves within 24 hours. And, again, this is a good thing—it’s a sign that treatment is stimulating the desired treatment response.
One of the major advantages of combining these regenerative medicine treatments is that there’s minimal downtime. Unlike surgery, which can require weeks or months of recovery, most patients can resume their normal activities during treatment. Now, we do typically recommend avoiding high-impact exercises for a few days after a PRP injection. But walking and normal activities are usually fine.
Remember—results aren’t immediate, and this is important to understand. Unlike cortisone injections that provide rapid but temporary relief, regenerative treatments work by stimulating your body’s natural healing processes. And that takes time. Most patients begin to notice improvement within two-four weeks of tarting treatment, with continued improvement in the following months. The full benefits may not be apparent until three to six months after treatment. But the results last longer than those you get from cortisone injections or other temporary measures.
Are Treatments Covered by Insurance?
Currently, most insurance plans don’t cover PRP or Shockwave Therapy. These are considered cash-pay procedures, though some flexible spending accounts (FSAs) or health savings accounts (HSAs) may cover them. While out of pocket expenses may seem significant initially, many patients find it more cost-effective over time when compared to continued co-pays for physical therapy, cortisone injections or surgery for unresolved chronic foot or heel pain.
Who is a Candidate for Combining PRP and Shockwave Therapy?
Patients who have been in pain for at least three to six months and haven’t responded adequately to conventional treatment options. This includes patients who aren’t good candidates for surgery due to other conditions or those who want to avoid invasive procedures. Athletes and other active individuals may choose these options because they can stay active during treatment, and may return to their full activity level on a faster timeline than they would after surgery. Plus, the regenerative nature of these treatments means the healed tissue is often stronger and more resilient than after conventional treatments, so you may even reduce your risk for future foot pain.
Are you tired of treating your chronic foot pain without finding relief? Do you want to harness your body’s own healing ability? We’re here to help! Contact our Houston podiatry practice to request a regenerative medicine consultation.
