Heel spur is a condition that is fortunately easy to treat, but treatment will take some time. A good and effective way to remedy heel spurs is with shock wave therapy.
What is heel spur?
Heel spur is a calcification of the tendon plate on the heel bone that causes inflammation under the heel. This can be caused by running, bad footwear or overweight, but also by foot abnormalities, such as flat feet. The tendon plate is the tendon that runs under the foot from the heel to the toes. It is one of the wider tendons in our body that always has to absorb a lot of forces. The most common complaints of heel spurs are:
- Pain under the heel when standing and/or walking
- Start-up pain when getting out of bed or after sitting still for a long time
- A stiff feeling in the tendon plate
- Heel pain while driving.
Heel spurs can go away on their own if detected early through rest, wearing good shoes and stretching exercises. If this has no effect, or if the complaints are too intense, a shock wave treatment is a good method to relieve the complaints.
What is Shockwave Therapy?
With a shock wave – a shock wave in Dutch – a pressure wave is created by very fast sound waves. This wave reflects off the tissues and causes a vibration here. This vibration causes the production of extra proteins and growth factors, stimulating cells to grow and repair. In addition, due to the sound waves, the lime deposits become brittle and fall apart. This improves blood flow and the body heals itself. In most cases, shock wave therapy can prevent surgery. Shockwave therapy can therefore be a good treatment for heel spurs.
Shockwave therapy for heel spurs
During shock wave therapy, rapid sound waves are aimed directly at the heel spur via a marker or sphere after applying a conductive gel to the foot. Because the surrounding tissue is often also affected, this is treated immediately. The sound waves can be painful, especially at the beginning of the treatment. A treatment takes on average between ten and twenty minutes and an average of four to six treatments are needed to remedy the heel spur. After a treatment, the pain almost always disappears quickly.
If you have complaints that indicate a heel spur and you want to know whether shock wave therapy can help you, please contact Fysi Tilburg and walk complaints-free again in the future.