Shock wave therapy for heel spurs is one of the conservative healing techniques. Treatment through this physiotherapeutic procedure helps to avoid the use of surgical methods to combat destructive changes in the heel bone - injections of drugs into the area of the pathological focus and surgical intervention.
Based on the reviews of those patients who completed the course of shock wave therapy, we can come to the conclusion that it is the most effective of all existing treatment methods that allow you to get rid of the pathology forever.
UVT is based on the directed impact of ultrasonic waves generated by a special device on the pathological area of the heel. Initially, this method was used to treat cholelithiasis and urolithiasis, but at the very end of the last century, orthopedists adopted shockwave therapy.
In terms of therapeutic effectiveness, shock wave therapy is not inferior to surgical treatment, but its great advantage is its non-invasiveness. Due to the fact that the integrity of the skin is not compromised during SWT, the recovery period is significantly reduced and the risk of possible complications in the patient is eliminated.
The essence of this physiotherapeutic technique is that waves of a certain frequency penetrate through soft tissue, reach the changed areas of the heel bone and, hitting its surface, return back. At the same time, treatment using the UVT method provides a massage effect on the entire area of the pathology, which helps relieve pain and gradually eliminate pathogenic manifestations.
When destructive changes in the bone tissue of the heel are treated using shockwave therapy, a positive effect is observed after the first session. Since during the procedure a massage effect is applied to the area of inflammation, the processes of microcirculation and lymphatic drainage are activated in this area, which leads to the following results:
Changes in pathological foci under the influence of ultrasonic waves
The therapeutic effect of UVT is due to mechanical, physicochemical and thermal effects on the affected areas of the foot. This completely eliminates the impact of ultrasound on healthy tissue.
Despite the non-invasive nature of the SWT procedure, such treatment is strictly prohibited in some clinical cases due to the high risk of developing extremely severe complications:
Before undergoing shockwave therapy, the patient must undergo certain preparation, which includes a blood test for a coagulogram and an X-ray examination of the affected area. In some cases, the attending physician may prescribe magnetic resonance therapy of the heel bone to obtain more accurate data about its destructive changes.
The number of procedures required for complete cure is determined individually for each patient. The minimum number of sessions is 3; a time interval must be maintained between subsequent procedures, the duration of which is also determined by the attending physician (from a couple of days to several weeks).
The SWT procedure is completely painless, however, patients with a lower pain threshold may still experience minor pain from the effects of ultrasonic waves.
A spot spur, or otherwise called plantar fasciitis, occurs as a result of mechanical damage to the feet, various infectious processes, inflammation, etc. But, no matter what the cause of heel spurs is, during this pathology a person always experiences very severe pain. Until recently, heel spurs were treated only with the help of surgery, because this was the only way to relieve a person of pain. Recently, heel spurs have been treated using shock wave therapy. This is a young, but very effective treatment method that has already received positive reviews among patients. The result of shock wave therapy truly exceeds all human expectations.
Every person has a heel spur, regardless of age. But, normally, it resembles a wide band that fits the heel bone tightly enough and reliably connects it with the rest of the small bones on the toes. The tape or heel spur directly from the middle of the heel begins to diverge in certain rays, and it is always kept taut to prevent the foot from being flattened.
The condition, meaning the normal and healthy condition of a heel spur, depends on most external factors that directly affect the occurrence of a heel spur as a defect. These mechanisms of influence and formation of spurs have not been fully studied by humans, but there are still some factors whose influence can be discussed.
Heel spurs can occur in any healthy person due to foot deformity, most often flat feet. And also for the reason:
Taking into account all of the above factors, it is possible to understand and determine the exact reason why a person experiences minor injuries and inflammation in the foot area. But our body reacts to negative outside influences in a rather unusual way. For example, the same excess weight leads to the fact that the heel bone grows significantly and as a result, spines are formed, quite sharp with curved tips. Such bone growths cause severe pain when walking and significantly damage and injure the connective tissue on the foot. Because of this, a rapid inflammatory process begins, which leads to degenerative changes in the area of the lower extremities and feet. A heel spur often leads to a person’s disability and the inability to stand on his or her foot.
Severe pain in the foot area occurs for two reasons. The first is an inflammatory process, the second is increased pressure on the foot from a growth, that is, a heel spur. A number of medical studies have established that the size of the spurs and their number do not in any way affect the nature of the pain. In addition, if the heel spur begins to grow, the pain subsides a little. If the thorns have just begun to grow, then the pain is extremely acute and unbearable. We can say that it is very painful.
If a patient has complaints of acute pain while walking and this can be confirmed using ultrasound and x-rays, then the person is diagnosed with a “heel spur.”
Treatment of spurs with shock wave therapy has been used throughout the world for the past 25 years. This method helps to cure not only the heel spur itself, but also diseases of the musculoskeletal system, muscles and tendons. Comprehensive treatment for heel spurs looks like:
Shock wave therapy has become quite popular. UVT has no contraindications and quickly affects heel spurs. The essence of the method is the beneficial effect of shock waves on both soft and hard tissues. When exposed to a wave, pain and discomfort are blocked, because of this the person does not experience any pain after the second procedure. The pain becomes less intense and acute.
In addition to the fact that the pain subsides, the effects of shock wave therapy restore absolutely all damaged areas and tissues, as well as tendons. This has a beneficial effect on the external and internal well-being of a sick person.
If the heel spur is small, then shock wave therapy destroys the bone growth and after that absolutely all decay products are removed from the body. This is what guarantees fairly effective treatment and pain reduction. After such therapy, a person can easily return to normal daily life and his working capacity is completely restored, and there can be no talk of any disability.
With small heel spurs, the bone growths are completely destroyed and decay products are removed from the body. That is why effective treatment of heel
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Have you started to feel sharp or aching pain in the heel area? there is a possibility that it is plantar fasciitis, popularly known as “ heel spur .”
This disease can cause a lot of unpleasant sensations; we will tell you in detail about this disease in order to protect you from its complex consequences.
Often you do not even suspect that you already have a “ heel spur ,” which in the initial stages may have no symptoms at all, except for mild pain in the heel in the morning, during the first step.
And it can only be identified on an x-ray, although the “heel spur” already exists and is doing its job, becoming more and more microtraumas every day, and affecting larger and larger areas of soft tissue with an inflammatory process, which will subsequently cause very severe pain .
What symptoms does a “heel spur” exhibit, what is it, and what categories of people are more prone to its formation.
First of all, it must be said that the human foot is assigned the role of supporting the entire weight of the human body on itself; this is facilitated by a certain structure of the ligament of the forefoot and hindfoot. And most often this bone growth, which, in fact, is not itself a heel spur , forms in the back of the foot. It is the micro tears that form on the ligaments, in the area of this growth and under its pressure on the soft tissues that give the sensation of pain, especially when putting stress on the heel.
The intensity of the pain depends more on the location of this growth; the size in this case is not so important. The pain is more acute if the growth is located in minimal proximity to the nerve endings. In the first stages of the growth of a “heel spur,” a person feels pain, for the first time minutes of stress on the foot, then the pain either weakens or completely disappears. In the future, this pain accompanies throughout the entire time when a person is in an upright position.
Contributors to the occurrence and development of this disease are obesity, flat feet, sports and simple foot injuries, as well as age and gender: women over 40 years of age are more prone to the formation of “heel spurs”. For one reason or another, the result is the same: the powerful fascia of the sole becomes inflamed, and this is manifested primarily by an acute pain syndrome that hinders full movements, thereby imposing restrictions on a person’s daily life, trying to take away a very important function of the human body - walking.
An accurate diagnosis is absolutely impossible only from the patient’s descriptions of pain and from an external examination by a doctor, since pain in the heel area can be concomitant symptoms of various diseases, since:
Therefore, in order to correctly and timely identify the heel spur disease, in addition to an external examination by an orthopedic doctor, it is necessary to undergo a number of laboratory and instrumental studies, such as:
The main goal pursued during diagnostics is not only an accurate diagnosis, but also the identification of the causes of the disease, as well as the degree of its severity.
After a complete and detailed examination, when the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis is confirmed, the orthopedic doctor must develop a complete and detailed action plan for the treatment of this disease in the patient.
The treatment method is selected individually, depending on the complexity and extent of the disease, as well as possible concomitant diseases of the person. Attempts at self-medication are unacceptable , as they can only aggravate and complicate an existing problem.
As a result of improper and unprofessional treatment of heel spurs, complications such as burns, soft tissue damage, and sometimes even partial loss of mobility can be observed. Therefore, you should not experiment on your health and try to fight this disease on your own. Leave it to the professionals.
Today, the diagnosis of “Plantar fasciitis” has been studied so well that it can be treated with a variety of methods, but we will consider with you how effective they are, each individually and in detail.
Regarding the method of treatment with drugs, it must be said that this option is possible and acceptable, but only for the initial stages, which, unfortunately, are either not detected in time, as a rule, or people do not pay attention to them at all.
These treatment methods are aimed mainly at short-term relief of inflammation in the injured tissues of the foot. An orthopedic doctor individually selects medications that will help relieve pain and temporarily help you forget about your problem. These can be a wide variety of gels, ointments, creams, infusions.
But there is a more complex and painful method of drug treatment: injections of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs directly into the heel joint.
Yes, here the effectiveness of the drug will be much higher, but the painfulness of the procedure should not be written off. You will also have to carry out a number of injection activities that do not bring enough results to endure their pain.
Injections must be carried out by a surgeon, since in this method every detail is very important: dosage, depth of injection of the drug and the accuracy of its administration.
If a mistake is made, it can have serious consequences in the form of the development of inflammation of the tendons, osteoporosis, as well as the formation of suppuration, and sometimes sepsis.
In addition, frequent injections can affect the fascial tissue, damaging or completely destroying it, depending on the frequency of injections. Therefore, summing up the results of this method of treating heel spurs, we can say with confidence that the injection method cannot be recommended as first-line therapy, and the patient must be warned about the possible risk of rupture of the plantar fascia.
Another group of medicinal treatment methods includes so-called heel spur patches , which have an analgesic and antiseptic effect. Their undoubted advantage is that they are made from natural ingredients, inexpensive, and also painless and easy to use. Alas, they are not a medicine, but only a means of relieving pain for a short period of time , as well as the possibility of addiction to the analgesic, which can subsequently cause dependence on them.
In the early stages of this disease, your doctor may prescribe a physiotherapeutic set of procedures. This complex should be developed by an orthopedic doctor, based on the results of a complete examination of the patient, and the established diagnosis, as well as the degree of its complexity.
All these physical therapy treatments can only temporarily reduce the flare-up of plantar fascia. This complex includes: gymnastic exercises, massage, mud and mineral baths, as well as ultrasound therapy. A set of physiotherapeutic measures is usually prescribed together with drug treatment, as a rule, to enhance and consolidate the effect of drug treatment.
This method of treatment also contains injections of corticosteroids - anti-inflammatory steroid drugs combined with an anesthetic. They are inserted into the sole area or heel. Thanks to the wide range of activities included in the physiotherapeutic complex, it is possible to select the means absolutely for any patient.
But this method is unlikely to help in completely getting rid of the problem, since it only affects the inflamed soft tissues that are located around the “spur” itself.
Also, one of the fairly painless, and therefore popular, methods of treating “heel spurs” is often considered by patients to be the effect of low-intensity laser therapy.
When using this method, a beam of light (laser) is directed onto the damaged area of the foot, which directly affects the soft tissue located around the spur. Thanks to focused radiation, blood circulation increases in damaged areas, in areas of inflammation, which actually helps reduce pain. The effect of the procedure can be observed no earlier than after 4-8 sessions, depending on the complexity and stage of the disease, as well as the characteristics of the patient’s body.
It is a mistaken opinion among patients that the laser can remove the “heel spur” itself. This is a very common opinion, which is a deep misconception. A low-intensity laser beam, penetrating deep into the foot, affects only soft tissue, without having any effect on the bone. Consequently, this method cannot be complete and basic in the treatment of this disease.
Some patients, more desperate and courageous, having tried some methods of treating plantar fasciitis, still decide on surgical intervention, believing that this method is the only way to escape from an unpleasant and painful disease.
Do not forget that this method is not simple, because any surgical intervention is stressful for the whole body, and sometimes a very dangerous procedure. Since the effects of anesthesia can be very unpredictable and affect the body not in the best way. Therefore, before taking such drastic measures to remove the “heel spur”.
It’s worth thinking carefully about weighing all the pros and cons, and perhaps trying the most effective, safe and painless method, which, according to doctors, as well as grateful patients of our clinic, is completely effective and independent.
It is shock wave therapy (SWT) of the heel spur that is this guaranteed highly effective treatment method, which we will talk about now.
In our clinic, for quite a long time, we have successfully and positively used this method as the main one to completely get rid of such an unpleasant and quite painful illness as plantar fasciitis (heel spur). Hundreds of grateful patients every day get rid of it forever and begin to live a new life. What exactly and how does this happen:
It is immediately important to note that shock wave therapy is a very effective and quite complex method of treating “heel spurs”, which should be carried out strictly by highly qualified specialists with extensive experience, such specialists as the doctors of our clinic.
Thanks to the high-energy low-frequency shock wave, which is aimed at the area of the disease and has a short-term application to the affected area, local blood circulation improves, calcium deposits and fibrous foci, which are the main cause of the inflammatory process and acute pain syndrome, are also loosened.
The shock wave therapy method proved its belonging to positive methods in practice more than 10 years ago. This method is the most effective, painless and acceptable for the patient in all respects. Back in 2014, clinical studies were conducted, the results of which were published in the media.
The studies were of the following nature:
The patients were divided into three groups.
The first group received only shock therapy,
The second group - UVT was combined with phonophoresis, as well as cryotherapy,
The third group included only phonophoresis with cryotherapy, but without shockwave.
After a long course of treatment, the results were as follows:
Based on the research conducted, it is clear that shock wave therapy is a very effective method as an independent procedure.
What is important is that this method is loyal to the general health of the patient, which means that there is no effect of anesthesia on the body or side effects from any drugs, as can happen with surgery or drug treatment.
In rare cases, after the first SWT procedure, the patient may experience a pain effect, but usually it goes away on the second or third day, and does not appear again with repeated procedures.
To enhance the effect of shockwave therapy and consolidate the result, doctors recommend the use of special orthopedic insoles that help unload the foot, as well as performing a set of gymnastic exercises.
We can definitely say that the effectiveness of this method of treating heel spurs is very high.
To perform a full-fledged shock wave therapy procedure for heel spurs, a special UVT device is used. It converts electrical impulses into sound waves, which penetrate human soft tissue.
The frequency of the waves, as well as the strength of the impact, is determined only by the doctor, and these indicators depend on the nature of the disease and its degree of complexity, as well as the depth at which the bone formation is located. Typically, when treating heel spurs, the recommended intensity of exposure is 0.3–0.4 MPa, or 3–4 atm (pressure units during exposure).
An important point is the fact that the SWT procedure does not require hospitalization of the patient and is usually performed on an outpatient basis.
Before the start of shockwave therapy, the patient is examined by an orthopedist; this is a mandatory component of the course of treatment, which determines the nature of the effect and the number of sessions that the patient will need.
All these indicators are strictly individual for each patient. Before the procedure, you will definitely undergo a series of laboratory and instrumental examinations, which include the following procedures:
If the case is advanced or complex, then you may be prescribed a magnetic resonance imaging scan of the foot.
After you have been examined and if no contraindications to the procedure are identified, the shock wave therapy procedure itself can be performed. Using palpation, the doctor will determine the most painful and inflamed areas on the foot, a special conductive gel will be applied to these places, and then the doctor will work on this area using an applicator.
The duration of one procedure (session) varies from 15 to 25 minutes, and the interval between shockwave therapy sessions should be 3-7 days. As for the full course of shock wave therapy, we are talking about 3-7 procedures, depending on the complexity of the disease.
Naturally, as with any treatment, even the safest one, there may be a number of contraindications to procedures, treatment, and so on.
This also applies to shock wave therapy. Despite the high effectiveness of treating heel spurs, this method also has a number of contraindications that must be taken into account when prescribing the procedure.
Such contraindications include:
So we looked at all sorts of points, weighed all the pros and cons regarding the use of such an excellent and effective method of treating “heel spurs” as shock wave therapy.
What can we say to summarize our topic? This method can be unequivocally and undeniably confirmed as the most effective, painless and gentle for all categories of patients. At any age, at any stage of development of the disease, we can help you find peace and health, and your legs will never get tired.
You should not put off resolving the issue, especially such a complex and serious one, for a long time. You should not expect that “plantar fasciitis” will go away on its own, no, this is a mistake, because this disease envelops the internal tissues of your foot, affecting new areas, like a spider weaving a web, millimeter, centimeter, and so on.
And the pain, every day, will become stronger and stronger, bringing unbearable torment to your body. Even 10 years ago, humanity attempted a lot of options to treat this disease, but everything was either completely in vain, or the relief was short-lived.
Today, you can simply relax and surrender to the hands of our highly qualified specialists, who will help you first quickly and competently identify the disease, establish its stage and determine its complexity, as well as select and prescribe an individual course of shock wave therapy.
Our doctors have extensive experience and a high degree of qualification in the field of shock wave therapy. All the experiences of patients, which they share with the doctors of our clinic, regarding ineffective treatment or the resulting side effects, after various procedures to remove the disease, have been put to rest, since the UVT method will not be the last resort, but definitely the last option that you will have experience.
After it, you can contact our clinic only as a recommender for your friends who may also suffer from this disease. Take care of your health, and never self-medicate, as this is fraught with unpleasant consequences!
Shock wave therapy (SWT) is used to treat heel spurs.
You can make an appointment with a doctor by calling +7(495)649-69-03
Heel fasciitis is an unpleasant disease that limits a person's mobility. Accompanied by severe pain in the heel area. Doctors often use physiotherapy for treatment. Shock wave therapy is considered effective in this case.
Shock wave therapy for heel spurs ensures recovery in 85% of patients. Efficiency has been proven not only by practice, but also by scientific research. This method is safer than surgery. After a course of procedures, the patient does not need to spend time on rehabilitation.
UVT appeared in medicine not so long ago. The technology of influence is simple. Acoustic waves act on the accumulation of calcium in the plantar fascia. Thanks to this effect, the heel spur gradually decreases. In most cases, a course of such procedures can completely rid a person of having a spur. The technique is safe and suitable for patients for whom other treatment methods are contraindicated.
The duration and number of sessions is determined by the doctor. At the same time, it takes into account the patient’s symptoms, complaints and the complexity of the disease. With this therapy you can achieve the following results:
SWT has a local effect on the affected part of the heel. Breaks down compactions in it and calcium accumulations. Effectively relieves pain and reduces sensitivity in the fascia area. This effect reduces the load on the foot and improves a person’s well-being.
The shock wave promotes rapid healing and tissue restoration, improves blood circulation in the foot area. This helps eliminate salts from bone tissue. Metabolic processes return to normal, which improves bone nutrition.
Ultrasound does not affect undamaged tissue and only affects the problem area. Healthy tissues are protected by an elastic layer.
Growths and deposits in the fascia are destroyed due to mechanical, thermal, physicochemical effects. Despite this, UVT has certain advantages and disadvantages:
Before starting treatment, the patient should consult a doctor. In this case, a surgeon or orthopedist will help. Before prescribing a course of shock wave therapy, the doctor examines the feet. Using palpation, determines the location of pain and takes into account the patient’s complaints. Also determines indications for the use of medications in conjunction with shock therapy.
To use shockwave therapy in the treatment of heel spurs, it is necessary to carry out some tests:
For a more accurate diagnosis of heel spurs, additional examinations may be necessary:
The image clearly shows the presence of a bone growth. Such examinations are usually prescribed when there are no significant symptoms of plantar fasciitis. In the initial stage of the disease, severe pain does not always appear. Some patients may initially be unaware of the presence of a spur.
Shock wave therapy for bunion removal is very simple. The skin is first lubricated with a special gel. An applicator is applied to this place, through which a shock wave passes. During a session, it can send approximately 1500 pulses. The applicator is placed on the skin at an angle.
Due to their rapid propagation, waves easily pass through soft tissue. The patient experiences a feeling similar to a massage inside the heel. In this case, the patient can be in a lying or sitting position. The use of therapy is possible only in an outpatient setting. This could be a clinic, hospital or private medical center.
During the procedure, the person feels light touches. Shock waves cannot be heard or seen. Therefore, UVT is comfortable, useful and even enjoyable. It is worth noting that such therapy can eliminate bone fragmentation.
One course of treatment consists of 1-7 sessions. The duration is determined by the doctor, and it can be 10-30 minutes. It is important to consider that an interval of 3-20 days must be maintained between sessions. It depends on how the patient feels after the first procedure. If the patient was bothered by acute pain, then shockwave therapy was postponed for at least 30 days.
After the therapy session, the pain in the lesion decreases slightly almost immediately. Over the course of 6 hours after the procedure, it gradually decreases even more. In severe cases, the pain may return and last for several days before gradually disappearing.
Sometimes Hydrocortisone may be used in SWT . The drug has an anti-inflammatory effect. Place the gel, lubricate the skin with ointment and apply the applicator. This promotes rapid and deep penetration of the therapeutic agent into the soft tissues. Instead of ointment, injections with Hydrocortisone can be used in the heel. This method is very effective in severe cases.
Shock wave therapy is safe. Despite this, there are certain contraindications to its use:
Ultrasound treatment is quite popular and is widely used in modern medicine. It is especially helpful for patients who are not helped by other treatment methods. The main advantage is the ability to avoid surgery to remove the spur. Does not cause side effects or various complications.
Patients leave positive reviews about the treatment of heel spurs with shock wave therapy. In addition, it can be combined with drug treatment.
Among foot diseases, plantar heel spur occupies one of the leading positions after flat feet and clubfoot. Despite the variety of various treatment methods, including traditional medicine, the problem of getting rid of very unpleasant and painful foot pathology remains still relevant for many middle-aged and older people.
Over the past few years, a relatively new, but quite effective method of treating spurs on the heel bone has been gaining particular popularity - shock wave therapy, or as it is commonly called for short, simply “SWT”.
Before learning more about the UVT method itself, let us briefly recall what a heel spur is and how it manifests itself.
A plantar heel spur is nothing more than a bony growth that resembles a spike or wedge in appearance and forms on the plantar part of the heel or at the site where the Achilles tendon attaches to the bone.
According to many experts, the appearance of bone growths on the heel in the older age group of the population should most often be considered as a natural physiological process. However, the following can contribute to the formation of heel spurs:
In most cases, with rare exceptions, a typical clinical picture is observed. Only a small proportion of patients may not have any symptoms of the disease. Characteristic signs of bone growths in the heel bone area:
Shock wave therapy or SWT is a modern, completely non-traumatic method of treating various diseases of the musculoskeletal system (heel spur, plantar fasciosis, epicondylitis, glenohumeral periarthritis, delayed healing of fractures) using wave action under pressure on the affected area.
Depending on the frequency of the shockwave pulses and the level of intensity, the effect can be destructive, analgesic or stimulating.
When treating heel spurs, it is recommended to combine shockwave therapy with other physiotherapeutic procedures and drug therapy, which includes the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, various pain-relieving ointments, corticosteroid injections, etc.
The impact of acoustic waves on the affected area provides a long-lasting therapeutic effect. When using shockwave therapy in clinical practice, you can count on the following effects:
Like any therapeutic approach, UVT has some contraindications. Shock wave therapy for the treatment of heel spurs should not be used for conditions such as:
Metal osteosynthesis, often used for severe and complicated bone fractures, is not considered a contraindication.
Before undergoing shock wave therapy for the treatment of heel spurs, it is necessary to undergo an examination by an orthopedist, have the results of an x-ray of the distal lower limb, and be sure to do a blood clotting test.
The doctor must determine the most painful areas where the shock wave will be directly sent. In addition, all pathologies that are contraindications for treatment with shock wave therapy should be excluded.
X-ray examination not only confirms the presence and specific localization of bone growth, but also allows us to judge the condition of the entire osteoarticular apparatus of the ankle and foot.
If necessary, magnetic resonance imaging is performed.
Determinations of the level of blood clotting must be carried out before the procedure, since systemic blood diseases are a direct contraindication to shock wave therapy, even when treating a pathology such as a heel spur.
Compared to other types of treatment, shock wave therapy for bony growths on the heels has a number of significant advantages. The UVT method is not only effective in 90% of cases, but also:
The physiotherapeutic procedure itself is not complicated. The patient can be either in a lying or sitting position. A special applicator sensor is installed on the skin where the greatest pain is felt.
Therapy begins with a frequency of 60 wave impulses per minute, which can be increased to 120. In this case, the intensity level does not exceed 6. In just one session, the patient receives from 1500 to 2000 impulses. As a rule, the procedure is performed once a week, less often twice.
In total, the UVT course consists on average of 5 procedures.
Treatment of heel spurs with shock wave therapy can be done on an outpatient basis both in a clinic and in private medical centers.
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Devices and methods of hardware diagnostics and treatment of joints are constantly evolving, and the same can be said about such a method of therapy as shock wave therapy for heel spurs, which we will talk about today.
It is worth saying right away that the UVT method is successfully used ahead of schedule in the treatment of such pathologies as heel spurs.
Shock waves themselves are constantly present in everyday life. These can be waves from an explosion, acoustic waves, waves from a thunderstorm, and so on.
Each such wave has a powerful component - high-energy supersonic sound, which was isolated separately and subsequently called shock wave therapy.
The first successes in the use of shock waves were achieved 20 years ago, when acoustic waves with a lower frequency (16-25 Hz) began to spread to the site of joint disease.
Such waves created a kind of microtrauma of the tissue, which caused the growth of new blood vessels and nutrition of the joint. This method resulted in:
Interestingly, at first the UVT method was used not so much for the treatment of arthritis, but for the destruction of kidney stones.
And today, treatment with this method covers several areas of medicine. This applies to periods of rehabilitation, orthopedics, sports medicine, and dermatology.
We will focus on how the UVT method can help in getting rid of heel spurs, that is, we will talk about orthopedics.
Before starting treatment, let's figure out what a heel spur is. This term is used in everyday life, but in medicine the disease is referred to as plantar fasciitis.
The causes of heel spurs are that excessive calcification begins to be deposited in the area of the heel bone, which leads to its growth and transformation into a spinous process.
When a thorn forms, the patient always feels severe pain, inflammation appears, because along with this there is wear and tear on the plantar fascia of the foot.
At the same time, we will determine the main reasons for the appearance and development of heel spurs:
A classic symptom of a growing heel spur may be severe and sharp pain in the heel when taking the first step in the morning after waking up. This symptom can be noted at home.
The pain is most often localized and manifests itself in the front or bottom of the heel. As for the immediate sensations, the pain syndrome can be acute or debilitating, sometimes the pain continues in the heel for months.
In terms of conservative treatment, a cortisone injection is most often used. However, this method and treatment do not always give a positive result.
Some time ago, in the absence of a positive reaction to cortisone, surgery was prescribed, but surgical treatment is always associated with a lot of problems.
The UVT method, as a modern and safe method of treatment, began to be used not so long ago.
Let us say right away that before considering surgical intervention in the treatment of fasciitis, it is necessary to try using the shockwave method.
It's no secret that surgery is always a risk. Complications may concern both the operation itself and the rehabilitation period.
At the same time, UVT has its undeniable advantages:
It is not possible to use the method at home; this requires special equipment, and treatment is carried out exclusively in a hospital or clinic.
Each procedure is carried out in a special room, where the patient is placed on a couch, so that the affected leg is slightly elevated. The patient lies face down.
A special gel is applied to the heel area, which enhances the conductivity of ultrasonic waves. Next, the sensor applicator is installed.
The intensity of the waves is, as a rule, 3-4 bars, and the number of shock waves is in the range of 1500-3000 blows. This difference depends on the size of the heel spur itself.
The procedure itself lasts about half an hour, and the course is designed for 5-8 sessions. Treatment here also depends on the size of the thorn and how long it has been present in the heel.
Please note that between procedures you need to maintain certain time intervals, from 3 days to a week. This is due to the fact that the tissues need time to recover after the procedure, and it is necessary to properly consolidate the therapeutic effect of using the method.
At home, you can treat the affected area with various ointments that will accelerate tissue regeneration and restoration.
Reviews about the method are positive and note an improvement in the patient’s well-being and a decrease in pain.
It is worth noting here that reviews also indicate cases where after the procedure the opposite effect occurs and the pain syndrome increases. This means that the intervals between procedures need to be increased; the tissue simply does not have time to adequately recover.
Despite the extremely positive reviews, treatment with the UVT method also has its contraindications.
These restrictions include:
In principle, we can say that shock wave therapy treatment, despite the reviews, is still permitted or, on the contrary, excluded, only by the doctor. Here it is necessary to consider each case separately.
In any case, often before starting therapy it is necessary to carry out a set of measures to prepare the body for treatment.