We are proud to welcome Shockwave Therapy into our Houston podiatry practice. It's the innovative treatment you've been looking for. If you're tired of treating your foot or ankle pain with medication and a cortisone injection, you've found the best and most effective treatment. If you are ready to undergo surgery to treat your heel pain, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, or Morton's neuroma, you owe it to yourself to try shockwave therapy first. In most cases, you'll avoid surgery altogether.
What is Shockwave Therapy for the Foot?
Shockwave Therapy is a non-surgical, noninvasive treatment for a variety of painful conditions of the foot and ankle. We use a type of shockwave therapy in our Houston podiatry office known as Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology (EPAT). This is a form of low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy. This state-of-the-art procedure is a form of regenerative medicine. This means it stimulates the body to heal itself.
The procedure uses high-energy ultrasound and mechanical acoustic waves to energy waves into the injured tissue. These waves cause microtrauma to the inflamed area and causes your body to redirect healing resources to the injured site. This causes your body to respond in several beneficial ways.
Benefits of Shockwave Therapy
EPAT is used to treat acute and chronic pain. Dr. Andrew Schneider has seen great success with patients who have received EPAT at our Houston podiatry office. Some of the benefits include:
- An increase in tissue repair at the cellular level
- Blood flow increases to the treated area. Shockwave therapy causes angiogenesis, the creation of new blood vessels. This is important because it brings more vital nutrients and growth factors to repair the injury
- Calcium deposits that form in small tissue tears are broken up, giving more opportunity to replace with healing tissue
- Breaks up scar tissue
- Reduction of pain receptors
- Reduces the need for anti-inflammatory medication and immobilization
- Reduces the chances of needing invasive surgeries
What Foot and Ankle Conditions Can Shockwave Therapy Treat?
Shockwave Therapy is effective for a number of soft tissue injuries of the foot and ankle. These include:
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Achilles Tendinitis
- Morton's Neuroma
- Posterior Tibial Tendinitis
- Peroneal Tendinitis
- Ankle Sprains
- Turf Toe
- Shin Splints
We perform a comprehensive evaluation before recommending any course of treatment. EPAT may be a stand-alone treatment or may be used in conjunction with other treatments for the foot and ankle.
What to Expect With Shockwave Therapy Treatment
The usual course with Shockwave Therapy is a series of three sessions, each approximately a week apart. Each session is relatively short, approximately 10 minutes. The results of treatment are cumulative and the results increase with each session.
Prior to the EPAT application, a gel will be applied to the area of the foot or ankle that is being treated. This helps to transmit the shockwave pulses from the handpiece to the injured area. Over the short session, thousands of acoustic waves are transmitted to the treated area.
There's no anesthesia required for shockwave therapy. It is not a painful treatment. Some people find it annoying or irritating, as if a rubber band is snapping. Don't worry, we can control the intensity if it gets too much!
There is no downtime after treatments. In most cases you can resume your regular activity. There's no pain after the treatment and you can return to work or school immediately after the session.
Most patients feel pain relief after the very first EPAT session. More than 80% of people find that their pain is resolved after the full course of treatments.
Is This the Same Therapy Used for Erectile Dysfunction?
Actually, yes it is. However, as a podiatrist, that's out of our scope of practice. We'll just focus on treating your foot and ankle pain. We'll leave the sexual health indications for others to focus on.
How Do I Schedule My First Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy Session?
We are happy to welcome you into our Houston podiatry office for a comprehensive evaluation to see if Shockwave Therapy is right for you. If so, you can get your first shockwave application done at that same visit. You can call the office at 713-785-7881 to schedule an appointment or request an appointment online.