It's the new year! 

And this is the time of year when a lot of us set our New Year's goals and resolutions.  That often includes working out and weight loss.  If you have heel pain and/or plantar fasciitis this can be difficult.  It is the impact style exercises that can cause problems with plantar fasciitis.  So, if you are a runner, like to walk for exercise,  or play tennis etc., it may be time to treat this problem.  

There are many resources on things you can do on your own.  The most common home treatments include avoiding going barefoot, stretching, wearing good supportive athletic shoes,  icing and taping.  Regarding exercise, it is important to avoid impact and consider options such as swimming, aqua jogging, cycling, stationary bike and elliptical trainer.  

One of the golden rules is to use pain as your guideline.  Sometimes you won't know until the next day if you push it too far or if the particular cross training is going to be okay with this problem.  One of the great new treatments that has no down time, that we now offer is shockwave therapy.  With this treatment, there is no need to hold back on exercise after the treatment. 

For example, you could have it done on a Tuesday and continue with your typical workout on Wednesday. The standard treatment protocol is to treat the affected heel once per week for 3-5 weeks.  The treatment itself does not require an injection or a cast boot. There are several different styles of shockwave therapy.  At our clinic, we utilize the EPAT Stortz D-Actor 100 extracorporeal pulse activation technology.  The treatment has virtually no side effects or risks.  With one study, of the patient's treated, over 80% reported to be pain-free or have significant reduction of pain.  In addition to plantar fasciitis, we also utilized this to treat Achilles tendinitis, forefoot capsulitis, and neuromas.  If you are interested in this treatment please contact our office at Issaquah Foot & Ankle Specialists:  Dr. Brandon Nelson and Dr. Timothy Young.