Heel spurs are a condition that is fortunately easy to treat, but treatment will take some time. A good and effective way to treat heel spurs is with shockwave 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, poor footwear or excess weight, 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.
If it is detected early, heel spurs can go away on their own through rest, wearing good shoes and stretching exercises. If this has no effect, or the complaints are too intense, then shockwave treatment is a good method to relieve the complaints.
What is shockwave therapy?
With a shockwave – a shock wave in Dutch – a pressure wave is created by very fast sound waves. This wave reflects against the tissues and causes a vibration. This vibration ensures the production of extra proteins and growth factors, which stimulates cells to grow and repair. In addition, the sound waves make the lime deposits brittle and fall apart. This improves blood circulation and the body heals itself. In most cases, shockwave therapy can prevent surgery. Shockwave therapy can therefore be a good treatment for heel spurs.
Shockwave therapy for heel spurs
During shockwave therapy, fast sound waves are aimed directly at the heel spur via a pen or ball 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 treatment. A treatment takes on average between ten and twenty minutes and an average of four to six treatments are needed to resolve the heel spur. After treatment, the pain almost always subsides quickly.
If you have complaints that indicate a heel spur and would like to know whether shockwave therapy can help you, please contact Fysi Tilburg and walk without complaints again in the future.