Have you tried shock wave therapy? Was it worth it?

September 26, 2023 9:16 AM

I'm trying to decide if I should continue shock wave therapy on a badly plantar fascia'd foot.

The plantar fascitis in this foot, combined with the tightness of the calf muscles above, is bad enough that it has torn stress fractures in the heel bone. I've been mostly staying off the foot, not doing hardly any walking (or any other exercise, hardly.) It is making me frantic; I really need this to heal.

That said, the first session of shock wave therapy on this already-inflamed heel was shockingly (heh) painful. SO painful. And I didn't notice any immediate improvement. Dr said it would take three months. This seems very woo and unverifiable.

I have to decide today if I'm going to complete the three-session course and I'm looking for anecdata. Did you do this treatment? If you feel like it helped you, how did you observe that? Also interested in experience of folks who aren't sure, or whom it didn't help.

Please don't answer this question unless you have undergone this treatment yourself.

posted by fingersandtoes to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

Best answer: My PT tried shock wave therapy on my plantar fasciitis, and it *was* painful. It also made no discernible difference, and neither he nor the podiatrist (who also suggested it as a treatment option) mentioned that it would take multiple sessions to have an effect. For reference, my PF was not nearly as extreme as your case, and the only things that helped me were a shot of cortisone (which also hurt, BTW) and wearing tennis shoes pretty much all day every day as I racked up 10,000+ steps per day.
posted by DrGail at 9:38 AM on September 26, 2023

Best answer: I got shock wave treatment in 2017 for plantar fasciitis and found it to be very effective, although, obviously, YMMV. It didn't take three months, but I did have multiple sessions (maybe 6-8 over 6-8 weeks? Sorry, can't recall exactly.)

Pain level: They started me at a low level and let me indicate when I was ready to go to a higher setting. I didn't find it that bad overall. HOWEVER: I did not have stress fractures in my heel bone, so this does sound a lot more painful for you -- my sympathies!

Next steps: I never had a cortisone shot in my heel, but I did get one in my shoulder for a tear that refused to heal any other way, so if you can't tolerate shock wave sessions, DrGail's suggestion of a cortisone shot might be your best option.
posted by maudlin at 9:54 AM on September 26, 2023

Best answer: I developed PF after using a soft cast, then an Aircast, following a very bad sprain. The physiatrist prescribed 6 weekly sessions and I found them very helpful as well. The first minute of the first session (and subsequent ones, to a lesser degree) was by far the most painful, and then the pain subsided pretty quickly to a dull thrum. There was no noticeable difference after the first time, though - it too until the 2nd or 3rd for me to feel a real improvement.

As far as I know I didn't have any stress fractures, so I don't know how that affects my perception of pain level, though I do have a pretty high pain threshold.

Long-term relief from PF has come as a result of using custom insoles. I got a pair from a sports store that could customize them on the spot, and haven't had a PF flare since I started using them.
posted by pendrift at 11:06 AM on September 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I tried shock wave therapy 6 or 7 years ago when I was in my mid/late 20s for a much less bad case of PF brought on by running and it did nothing for me except take $500 and 5 hours of my time away from me. It was 5 sessions either every week or every other week and was moderately painful. Insurance didn’t cover it because it was an unapproved treatment from Europe, but the podiatrist I was seeing was affiliated with a fancy medical school so I tried it.

Mine resolved a bit in the short term from finding some everyday shoes with a bit of a heel and not running and in the long term from a combination of yoga and a general strength training program. But again, much less bad case than yours.
posted by A Blue Moon at 2:09 PM on September 26, 2023