Skip to main content
Beaver Valley Foot Clinic
  (878) 313-3338 We Can Help!

What is ESWT?

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) is an emerging treatment for chronic plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is an irritation to the tissue forming the arch of your foot. It causes sometimes severe pain in the arch and heel of your foot. In general, treatments for this condition can be simple, but sometimes, more aggressive forms of treatment are necessary to relieve symptoms. Surgery can be a last resort for people who have not responded to other treatments for plantar fasciitis, but this surgery doesn’t always have a high success rate and can have potentially complicating side effects.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) is becoming a viable treatment option for patients with chronic plantar fasciitis. ESWT delivers shock waves to the areas affected by plantar fasciitis. These shock waves cause trauma to the tissue and then induce a healing reaction by the body. This microtrauma, as it is called, stimulates a repair process and will therefore relieve symptoms.

There are two forms of ESWT. One produces a low energy shock-wave and the other produces a high-energy shockwave. The low-energy treatments are done in a series of at least 3 visits to a foot clinic and do not produce much, if any, pain. However, the high-energy treatments, while completed in only one visit, produce much more intense pain and require some sort of anesthesia.

What Problems Can Be Treated With ESWT?

ESWT is a shock therapy that can be used to treat many muscle and bone related problems, some of them include:

  • Plantar fasciitis
  • Chronic tendon inflammations
  • Tennis elbow
  • Golfers elbow
  • Achilles tendonitis
  • Inflammation or discomfort in areas like hips, shoulder, knee, elbow and Foot
  • Shin splints
  • Trochanteric bursitis

If you have any of the above problems then consider it’s time to get ESWT treatment.

Who Should Get ESWT Treatment?

Having any kind of muscle or bone problem can make you a right patient for the shock therapy. however it’s most useful for those who have tried home remedies, medical treatments, massages and other treatments but couldn’t receive any relief.

Shock therapy will surely treat your condition and help you get rid of any muscle pain!

How Long The Treatment Lasts?

The average duration of an ESWT treatment is 10 minutes. However, it may take longer depending on severity of your injury, or if you are treating the problem after a long time then it may also consume some time.

Furthermore, you will need more than one session of ESWT,  you will need at least 4-5 sessions for the best treatment and one session will be done once a week.

Should I Consider Shockwave Therapy?

Before beginning a course of shockwave therapy, you must be evaluated to ensure that it is the safest and best course of action for your particular circumstances. The most effective shockwave therapy candidates share a number of characteristics. They are free of any existing illnesses that might be impacted by shockwave therapy, such as bone disorders, metabolic bone conditions, or nerve or circulation disorders, and they are in good overall health. If you are a good candidate for this type of therapy, your therapist will be able to tell you. So, keep all these things in your mind before you go for an ESWT treatment!

After your treatment, will you need to take time off?

No, after this treatment is finished, you won’t need to take any time off from work or your regular activities. There is no need for you to change any aspects of your regular behavior or activities because shock wave therapy is non-invasive, unless your care provider advises it. After their treatment, some patients might opt to take the remainder of the day off. There won’t be any big aftercare requirements for you.

When Can You Expect to See Results?

The area being treated or the seriousness of your medical issue may determine how long it takes to see any improvements from this treatment. Additionally, while your body regenerates healthy tissues, your benefits can come about gradually.

How Long Do the Effects Last?

It is well recognized that this treatment has long-lasting effects. As long as your new tissues are healthy, you can anticipate that your results will endure once your desired outcomes have been attained. You’ll probably require another therapy in the future if you have a degenerative ailment like osteoarthritis. However, you will be able to live pain-free for the duration of your results.

Who Should Avoid ESWT?

If you are under some of these categories then you should avoid ESWT treatment:

  • Being pregnant
  • Suffer from repetitive blood clots
  • Have bone problems

What Happens After The Treatment?

After every session you can go home, however you may feel some pain and discomfort in the treated areas since this therapy literally shocks your tissues.

Some side effects like redness, swelling and bruising can also occur but these side effects should subside before every new session.

Once you are done with all the overall treatment you will start noticing results eventually.

Beaver Valley Foot Clinic offers ESWT as a treatment for plantar fasciitis. Contact us to discuss this procedure. We will work together to determine if ESWT is the right treatment for you and your plantar fasciitis.

Call 878-313-3338