Injuries of any kind can disrupt a person’s life. Plantar fasciitis, which is a condition that leads to pain in and around the foot, can make it difficult to walk, run, and perform other physical activities that you might enjoy. The upside is that there are many ways to help alleviate the pain and get you back to enjoying your life. While some cases might require surgery, there are procedures like focused shockwave therapy and other minimally invasive ways to manage the condition that don’t require massive amounts of time to recover.
Here are a few of the ways to effectively treat plantar fasciitis:
Physical Therapy
One effective way to treat plantar fasciitis without having to take massive amounts of time to recover is to practice a bit of physical therapy. As with most conditions that affect the Musculoskeletal system, there are many exercises and stretches you can do to help alleviate the pain of the condition.
Exercises might appear a bit awkward because it requires you to use your body in ways that you’re not used to. Things like picking up marbles with your toes aren’t the most intuitive use of your body, but it can strengthen the intrinsic muscles in the foot to help prevent plantar fasciitis in the first place or reduce the amount of pain that you experience as a result.
By contrast, stretching seeks to increase the amount of flexibility in the foot so that you have a smaller likelihood of being injured from walking, running, or moving your body. Since walking and running are some of the best exercises to help your overall health, making sure to stretch regularly can maximize the amount of time you can spend walking to your favorite places where you live.
Add Additional Support
Plantar fasciitis often develops because the foot itself isn’t adequately supported. Hence, it goes a long way to preventing plantar fasciitis developing if you make sure your shoes have excellent arch support, and always replace athletic shoes before the sole wears out entirely.
If your shoes don’t have the best support, then it’s still possible to invest in orthotic insoles to add a little extra cushioning to protect your feet from developing pain.
Focused and Radial Shockwave Therapy
For people suffering from chronic plantar fasciitis, your doctor may prescribe some first-line treatments, like NSAIDs and steroid injections, but focused and radial shockwave therapy can serve as a great alternative to surgery to repair the damage to the body. The procedure is non-invasive, with no incision needed to help restore your foot. Instead, focused and radial shockwave therapy uses your own body’s healing ability to reduce swelling, inflammation, and damage in a way that lets you return to your life faster.
If you want to find out more about how focused and radial shockwave therapy can help plantar fasciitis, call the Delaware County, PA, offices of Dr. David W. Nadler & Associates today!