Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy

Description


If you’ve ever stood next to a subwoofer or felt your insides
vibrate with a particularly close thunderclap, you know that sound
has the power to reach inside you. What you may not know is that
sound can also be used for healing.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy, or ESWT, (not to be confused with
Extraterrestrial Shock Wave Therapy, for which you need flying
saucers) is related to the kind of shock wave therapy performed on
people with kidney stones or gallstones. In those cases, sound is
used to disintegrate the painful stones that are causing trouble,
all without harming the soft tissue around the stones, which is no
mean feat. In contrast, ESWT is most often used to treat soft
tissues, such as injured tendons and ligaments. So, rather than
shattering stones into little tiny bits, your podiatrist may use
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy to pass sound waves into damaged
tissue, bypassing healthy tissue entirely and stimulating the
healing process.

If you opt for ESWT, you’ll get to be treated with a fancy-looking
machine, be healed by sound waves, (and really-how amazing is
that?), and may even be able to avoid going under the knife. Lucky,
lucky you. (And those treated by flying saucers are luckier still.)

Uses


ESWT, at least as far as human feet are concerned, is most commonly
used to treat plantar fasciitis (also known as heel spurs). Plantar
fasciitis develops when the plantar fascia, or the tendon that runs
along the bottom of the foot, becomes damaged. Your podiatrist may
treat this condition using several different methods, including
immobilization (typically by using casts), shoe supports (including
orthotics), and anti-inflammatory medications. However, if these
methods don’t substantially decrease your pain, then ESWT may be a
much less invasive alternative to surgery. Because the procedure is
performed entirely from outside the body (that’s where the
‘extracorporeal’ bit comes from), you can avoid all that nasty
business with scalpels.

What to Expect


The machine used in ESWT may look like something out of a science
fiction movie. (You may even expect it to rumble around saying,
“Danger, Will Robinson!”) However, let’s face it, a lot of medical
equipment looks a little like that. Rest assured that the machine is
not a set piece – it will actually work to help heal your foot.

Before getting started, your podiatrist will probably inquire about
where exactly you’re experiencing pain. This will help him or her to
pinpoint exactly where the damage is in your foot. He or she may
also use imaging techniques (ultrasound often comes equipped on the
ESWT machines) to pinpoint the area needing those sound waves. In
fact, the podiatrist may use ultrasound throughout the procedure to
keep a close eye on things while the sound waves are actually doing
their work. A numbing agent may be applied to your foot in order to
avoid discomfort during the procedure. You may also get slathered
with gel (or rather, just your foot-slathering all of you in gel
would be less effective and kind of uncomfortable).

Once all the prep work is done, it’s time for your foot to encounter
the therapy head, or the part of the machine that actually sends out
the shock waves. The therapy head is generally filled with water, so
it’ll give a little bit when pressed against your skin. Sometimes
the therapy head is handheld, and in other cases you may put your
foot on top of it while you recline. Then, shock waves will be sent
through the therapy head into your foot. Some patients experience
some discomfort or pain during the procedure, or for a bit after the
procedure, although for most the numbing shot should prevent that.
You may also experience some reddening, swelling or bruising in the
area for a short while after treatment.

Recovery time after this procedure is gradual, since the healing
stimulated by the procedure needs time to take place. Most patients
notice significant improvements over a period of about thirteen
weeks, although some experience a surcease of pain in as little as a
day, and some may need months to fully heal, and might even require
additional treatments after the first. Each situation is unique.
ESWT seems to be quite effective in many cases. In some studies,
it’s been shown to be approximately 80% to 90% effective at
eliminating symptoms in patients whose plantar fasciitis didn’t
respond to other treatments.

Obviously, Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy isn’t necessarily the
best treatment for everyone. Your podiatrist will be able to offer
you sound advice on the things that will help your particular injury
to heal most effectively.