Shockwave Therapy For Heel Spurs - Advantages And Disadvantages

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Shockwave therapy for the heel spur

Heel spur shock wave therapy is the treatment of bone growth located on the plantar side of the heel bone using acoustic waves. The bony outgrowth can have a size from a few millimeters to 1.2 centimeters, it may not bother a person in any way, and it can provoke severe acute pain and lead to long-term disability.

Shock wave therapy is a physiotherapy method that avoids surgery when conservative treatment of a heel spur is ineffective. The technique was developed and first tested in Germany and Switzerland over 20 years ago. Since then, it has established itself as one of the most effective methods of treating heel spurs and has become a complete replacement for surgery.

To undergo the procedure, specialized equipment is required, which is a source of shock sound vibrations.

Content:

• The essence of the method of shock wave therapy for the heel spur
• Shock wave treatment of a heel spur

The essence of the method of shock wave therapy for the heel spur

With the local impact of waves on the affected area, the existing seals and deposits are split. The shock wave blocks pain receptors, reducing sensitivity at the site of exposure. Salt deposits are loosened, which helps to reduce the load on the fascia as the calcifications are washed away.

In addition, the process of tissue repair is accelerated, micro-fractures of the fascia heal faster. The increased blood flow removes the decomposed salt deposits, and the nutrition of the heel bone is restored due to the normalization of metabolic processes.

Ultrasound has an effect at the molecular level, which makes it possible not to affect healthy tissues and only affect pathological areas. The intact heel tissue is protected from ultrasound by the existing elastic membrane. Pathological growths and deposits are destroyed due to an active mechanical and physicochemical effect on them.

Impact of shock wave therapy on the body

Do not be afraid of treating a heel spur with a shock wave method. This procedure is widely used in medicine. For the treatment of various pathologies, waves of a certain length are used. For example, high-intensity waves are needed to break up kidney stones. To get rid of a heel spur, medium and low-intensity exposure is sufficient. This allows you to reduce pain, relieve inflammation, and gradually destroy existing deposits.

The specialist regulates the frequency of impulses and the strength of the pressure manually, which makes it possible to select the optimal effect for each individual patient. Waves emanating from the apparatus act exclusively on the pathological focus, without exerting any influence on either nearby tissues or the body as a whole.

Shock wave treatment of a heel spur

Shockwave therapy for a heel spur cannot be initiated without prior preparation. To do this, the patient needs to get an orthopedic consultation, perform an X-ray or MRI scan, and also take a blood clotting test.

In addition, the doctor should examine the patient again, just before the procedure. Using the palpation method, the doctor will determine the place on the heel that responds to the maximum pain, and it is this area that will be exposed to the waves. Most often, this is the center of the calcaneus.

The patient lies down or sits on a couch, and a special gel is applied to the skin of the heel. Then the doctor places a special sensor on the surface of the heel, which will be the source of shock waves. The specialist selects the angle of inclination of the sensor independently. Waves have the peculiarity of quickly spreading through a liquid medium and reflecting from dense tissue. Therefore, they pass through the soft tissues of the heel and act on the bone. Due to this, a therapeutic effect is produced.

During the procedure, the patient can feel only slight touches, the person will not see or hear the waves. The procedure is carried out either in a clinic or in a medical center, and its duration varies from 10 to 30 minutes. At least 5 sessions are recommended for one course, an increase up to 7 procedures is possible.

It is important that the interval between each visit to the physiotherapy room is at least 3 days, but not more than 20 days. During this time, the tissues are restored, and the decayed calcifications are removed from the body. The doctor must inquire about the patient's well-being, if the disease worsens, then the procedure is postponed.

The effect can be felt immediately after the end of the first session, as the pain is reduced immediately after the procedure by about 20%. The decrease in their intensity occurs for about 5 hours. They can bother a person for several more days, then appearing, then arising again, but the degree of their severity will decrease all the time.

So, thanks to shock wave therapy of the heel spur, it will be possible to achieve the following results:

• Reduce the intensity of pain;
• Bring blood circulation back to normal;
• Dissolve and remove calcifications gradually;
• Strengthen the ligamentous apparatus of the foot, the Achilles tendon.

Benefits of Shockwave Heel Spur Therapy

• There are no side effects with this procedure. The patient will not experience allergic reactions, which is possible during treatment with medications.
• The effect of therapy will not be long in coming.
• Treatment is carried out in an outpatient clinic.
• The patient has the opportunity to avoid surgery.
• The procedure is comfortable for the patient, non-traumatic, does not cause pain or other irritation.
• The procedure is short in time and does not take more than half an hour.
• In addition to improving blood supply, relieving pain and inflammation, it will be possible to get rid of bone growth.
• The therapeutic effect is achieved quickly and remains for a long time.

Disadvantages and contraindications of shock wave therapy for heel spurs

Shock wave therapy for a heel spur has no drawbacks - it is a quick and safe way to get rid of the existing pathology. The only disadvantage of the procedure can be considered the presence of contraindications that exist for any therapeutic effect on the body.

Do not use shock wave therapy in the following cases:

• In the presence of oncological formations, including benign tumors.
• During the period of gestation.
• In case of violations in the work of the cardiovascular system: hypotension, arrhythmia, thrombophlebitis of the legs.
• With infectious diseases in the acute phase.
• In case of body poisoning.
• Under the age of 18.
• With diseases of the nervous system.
• If there is bleeding in the area of the foot.
• With a violation of blood clotting.

Shockwave therapy is suitable even for those patients who have not been helped by conservative methods. It is possible to use this type of treatment both separately from other therapeutic effects, and in combination with physiotherapy and drug correction. The effectiveness of UHT is at least 90%, and the result is characterized by persistent positive dynamics. However, the cause of a heel spur must be identified and eliminated. Only in this case can it be guaranteed that the spur does not form again.

Author of the article: Kaplan Alexander Sergeevich | Orthopedist

Education: diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received in 2009 at the Medical Academy. I. M. Sechenov. In 2012 completed postgraduate studies in Traumatology and Orthopedics at the City Clinical Hospital named after Botkin at the Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics and Disaster Surgery.