Shockwave Therapy for foot pain, tennis elbow and Achilles

Commonly referred to as heel spurs, plantar fasciitis is a painful and often debilitating condition causing pain that afflicts more than 500,000 people in the UK each year. It can now be treated with Shockwave Therapy, as can conditions such as tennis and golfer's elbow, shoulder pain and painful Achilles heels

Advancements in the treatment of chronic foot pain


Heel spurs or plantar fasciitis is a painful and often debilitating condition causing pain under the heel that afflicts more than 500,000 people in the UK every year. A new treatment, called Shockwave Therapy now offers an alternative to traditional physiotherapy, injections or surgery.

Who is at risk from heel spurs?


Although everyone is at risk, plantar fasciitis is most commonly found in athletes, runners, overweight individuals, or those who are required to stand on hard surfaces for prolonged periods of time. It’s also one of the most common athletic injuries seen in general practice.

Treatment options for plantar fasciitis


Although physiotherapy or local steroid injections can help relieve the problem in the majority of cases, surgery has been the only available alternative for chronic sufferers. However, surgery carries risks and complications can arise, including infection and has a success rate of only 50%. The recovery time from surgery can be as long as 6 to 8 weeks.

What is Shockwave Therapy?


Now patients that have been suffering for years with chronic pain in their feet and ankles may be successfully treated with Shockwave Therapy using the latest high tech non-surgical equipment.

Shockwave Therapy delivers a radial shockwave through the surface of the skin to the injured tissue. This shockwave initiates an inflammation-like response in the injured tissue and accelerates the healing process by regenerating blood vessels. It also provides pain relief for the patient.

The benefits of therapy in treating heel spurs


Shockwave Therapy offers the following benefits:

Treatment is simple and takes minutes
There is no need for anaesthetic or lengthy rehabilitation
Additional support for the treatment:

Level 1 and 2 clinical trial data supports efficacy
The treatment is included in NICE guidelines
Proven non-surgical technology

It can also be used to treat tendonitis, tennis elbow and Achilles pain


Shockwave Therapy can also be useful in treating severe tendonitis, for example tennis and golfer's elbow, shoulder pain and painful Achilles heels.

If tendonitis is severe and leads to the rupture of a tendon this may need surgical repair. Until now, surgery has been the only available alternative for chronic sufferers.

Powered by

LaingBuisson is the chosen provider of independent sector healthcare market data
to the UK Government’s Office for National Statistics.