Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) in Brisbane
ESWT shock wave therapy is a reasonably new treatment for plantar fasciitis and heel spur treatment, which is becoming more popular with recent improvements in the delivery device.
How does Shock wave therapy work?
ESWT delivers targeted shock waves to the painful area using a hand held ‘gun’ that taps the inflamed tissue. The shock isn’t an electric shock, it is a physical blow. Shock wave therapy is thought to work by causing micro trauma (or tiny spots of damage) to the thick gristle-like tissue that makes up the plantar fascia band. We usually reserve using shock wave for plantar fasciitis that is chronic – more than three months in duration. The body will come in and repair this new, acute injury and in doing so brings more blood flow and repair cells to the chronic injury where your body has ‘given up’ its repair effort.
It has proven useful to also shock the calf muscles and Achilles Tendon to treat heel spurs as these two structures are highly interdependent. This is done using a different shock head that goes deeper and broader than the one used on the less fleshy parts of the feet.
Like many medical procedures, there are pros and cons to the use of shock therapy in Brisbane. Our Brisbane podiatry clinic completed a ten patient trial run in September 2015 with the unit before we decided to incorporate it into our practice. The results were better than we had anticipated with very stubborn, long term conditions responding quite quickly. We also found good success with Achilles Tendon issues.
The potential downside to treatment is that it can be uncomfortable at the time of delivery and it can increase pain for a couple of days after. So far, we have found that patients tolerate quite different levels of stimulation on the heel and the delivery of ‘taps’ can be dialed up or down accordingly. Application to the calf is generally quite pleasant. We are currently only using the treatment on conditions where it has been present for more than three months. We don’t think that it will be as useful on more recent pain but will learn more as we go along.
What Is The Cost Of Shockwave Therapy In Brisbane?
The ESWT shock wave therapy is often done three or four times at an interval of 4 to 7 days apart. The cost of the sessions is ~$85 and, as we are podiatrists, the treatment attracts a health fund rebate between $20 – $50 depending on your level of cover. Item numbers for shockwave therapy are F014 and F145.
If you wish to visit us to discuss treatment options, please use our contact page here. Be sure to let us know that you want to discuss ESWT shock wave treatment in Brisbane to ensure that we assign the correct practitioner to evaluate you. Read More.
Why Shockwave Therapy in Brisbane Can Be Good for Some Kinds of Injury
Foot pain can be a very complicated thing. The interaction of bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves and lead to problems that are difficult for your body to heal. Certain types of tissue are more ‘gristly’ than others and this is often where things can go wrong. If you imagine cutting skin, you will know that it bleeds freely – its blood flow is strong. This is true of muscle and even bone which bleeds well after trauma. Other tissues don’t have such good blood flow and it is often this type of soft tissue that struggles to get better. These especially include fascias, tendons, ligaments and entheses (places where soft tissue sticks on to bone). Often your body will lose interest in trying to heal a chronic injury after about 10 weeks. When this happens, pain can persist for months, perhaps even years. At these times, a “pro-inflammatory” treatment modality can be the right choice to get you back into the healing cycle.
Common places that we treat with Shockwave therapy include: plantar fasciitis treatment, heel spurs, heel pain, Achilles tendonitis, calf pain, buttock pain. Iliotibial bands (ITB) and other tendons of the lower limb and foot. We often use shockwave therapy on chronic injury that has been present for sometime, especially if it has been resistant to other treatments.
What is Pro-Inflammatory Treatment?
You might have heard of cortisone injections as a treatment for chronic pain. This, and tablets such as ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs aim to reduce inflammation in a painful spot. Rarely is the word inflammation used without a negative implication but the fact is that our bodies need the inflammatory process to heal injury. It is the only way that we heal and repair damaged tissue. Turning it off at the wrong time with drugs can be counterproductive to the long-term outcome. While our Podiatry clinic in Brisbane does sometimes prescribe strong NSAIDs and does use corticosteroid injections, we use them judiciously and use shockwave or different types on injection when we want the body’s natural healing potential to turn back on.
What is Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave therapy for feet involves using a pistol-shaped handpiece to irritate damaged tissue. A magnet in the gun flips and sends a small pellet up and down the barrel of the pistol. This then taps a button at the end that touches the skin. The tapping repeats quite quickly and a typical dose of Shockwave might be 2000 taps. Often, it is uncomfortable to start but generally, the pain reduces very quickly and carries over to easier walking straight away. The body’s inflammatory response is thought to be elevated – into healing mode – for about 10 days. In talking about bringing on inflammation, this does not mean that the area will be more painful. Often pain is decreased very quickly. We may also strap or brace the area to rest the troubled tissue as this will allow it to devote all of its resources to healing.
Will You Benefit from ESWT Shockwave Therapy?
Let one of our experienced clinicians examine you at Walk Without Pain Podiatry Clinics. The first step is to correctly diagnose your issue. We can work together to make a plan for short-term relief of pain and long-term resolution of the issue and discuss your options for treatment guided by a good understanding of the issue, why your pain started, and why it has remained.
Start Your Journey with Us with Shockwave Therapy for Feet Here in Brisbane
We are conveniently local and devoted to serving the people of Brisbane. You can book an appointment with our podiatrists in Brisbane online by filling in a form that won’t take you long at all. Our after-hours availability means that you won’t even need to miss any time off work or worry about having to move your schedule around too much.
The idea of this method may be new, however, we believe that the best way to approach your treatment is with an open mind and we are always here to offer our thoughts, support and most importantly, our many years of expertise.
Ultimately, shockwave therapy for feet is a treatment that we are so thrilled to be offering. Struggling with chronic foot pain is not only physically draining it can also be excruciating mentally speaking. So, if you have been carrying this burden for more than three months, we encourage you to reach out and talk with us about all the ins and outs of this procedure to see how it could really help you in the long run. You can find more info about our shockwave therapy on:
Get in Touch With Us Today To Discuss Your ESWT Shockwave Treatment Options
We offer this service because we truly believe in its effectiveness. The possibilities that can be achieved with this shockwave treatment are still being unearthed and we are doing all we can to find out more, each and every day.
Don’t overlook your foot pain any longer. Come to us and we will soothe your aches, bring you some serenity and dispel any discomfort. With your appointment comes the security that we will do all we can to take your strains away and that you’ll have access to some of the best practitioners in the business.
This is our careers, our livelihood but also, our passion. We are solely driven to provide high-quality podiatric care right here in Brisbane so you can continue to do all that you love.
If you need relief from foot pain, come and see what our amazing shockwaves can do! We cannot wait to have you at our clinic and to help make you feel better. If you have any questions about the shockwave therapy for feet in Brisbane, do feel free to get in touch with us. Call the location closest to you, email or find us on Facebook and Twitter for all our latest news. Read Less
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