Resolve Plantar Fasciitis for Good With Ultrasound Therapy

Your foot hurts.

You don’t want to complain, but you’ve been dealing with the pain for so long, there’s not much else to say. Your foot just hurts.

You’ve been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, and you’ve tried all the normal treatments without success, so you’re about to give in and just have surgery to fix the problem once and for all.

If this describes your situation, you may want to investigate ultrasound therapy first. This new technology, available at Carolina Joint and Arthritis in Wilmington, North Carolina, is showing promising results in treating plantar fasciitis. Here’s how it works.

What is plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. Those who struggle with it usually feel a stabbing pain in their heel when they step out of bed in the morning, along with an achy pain along the bottom of their foot throughout the day, swelling around the heel, and a tight Achilles tendon.

It’s caused by inflammation of the plantar fascia, a strong band of tissue that runs from your heel to the toes of your feet. It connects the bones in your feet and supports the arch on the bottom of your foot.

If the stress and strain on your plantar fascia becomes too much (due to too much time on your feet, too much exercise, being overweight, wearing shoes without enough support, etc.), small tears can develop in the tissue, leading to inflammation and pain. 

Treatment involves relieving the stress on your foot so the tears can heal. This can often be accomplished with physical therapy and more supportive shoes, but sometimes these efforts aren’t enough, and surgery is required.

How does ultrasound therapy work?

Ultrasound therapy is a new and promising technique to treat plantar fasciitis without surgery. Dr. Austin Yeargan will do an ultrasound or MRI to determine the location and extent of your damaged tissue. Once he knows the area to target, he’ll insert a needle-like probe that emits ultrasonic energy to break down the damaged tissue. A built-in system irrigates the area and sucks out the broken-down tissue.

This procedure improves blood flow and circulation to the damaged area, bringing in more oxygen and nutrients. This jumpstarts a healing response from your body and reduces swelling and inflammation.  

Ultrasound therapy for plantar fasciitis is quick (it only takes a few minutes) and minimally invasive. It requires no sedation and has no major complications.

Good candidates for the procedure have usually already tried more conservative treatments such as stretching, icing, rest, and orthotics.

If you’ve been struggling with plantar fasciitis and the normal treatments aren’t bringing results, Dr. Yeargan and his team are ready to help with ultrasound therapy. To make an appointment, just call our office or use our online scheduler today!