Shockwave Therapy- A Christmas Miracle?
Hello, and welcome to Day 12 of NaBloPoMo! It’s time for another exciting update on my foot. What? You do consider this exciting, right? Let’s move right along. If you haven’t already heard all about the saga of my foot, you must be a fairly new reader. I’ve been suffering with plantar fasciitis in my left foot since April of 2020. To be more precise, it didn’t get really bad until September of 2020. So “only” fourteen months. SIGH. Plantar fasciitis is the weirdest ailment. Here’s how every day of my life has gone for the past year: Wake up. Attempt to get out of bed. Think: “no. I must have a broken bone. Must go directly to the ER for an x-ray. I’m going to be in a cast. Maybe I’ll even need surgery. ARRRRRG”. Thirty minutes later: running happily down the street. Once my foot was loosened up, it didn’t hurt anymore. It would hurt again during the day any time I stood up after sitting for a while, but the plantar fasciitis never kept me from running. HOWEVER… I also had a pain on the bottom of my foot, towards the outside, and that was what flared up any time I tried to run too far or too fast. I couldn’t seem to convince anyone that it was a separate thing- the doctors I saw kept treating me for plantar fasciitis. I admit that it was confusing, but I just felt that there was something else going on, and finally asked for an MRI. With the MRI and a new doctor, I finally got a diagnosis that made sense. Plantar fasciitis AND peroneal tendinitis, at the point where the tendon attaches to the bone on the bottom of my foot. AHA! I knew it. I started a series of shockwave treatments to treat both issues, one every week. This involved a real leap of faith, because for the first three weeks I didn’t see any change in my foot. I’m paying $125 a session, and of course insurance doesn’t cover it. But my doctor was extremely confident in this treatment, AND he said I could continue to run, so I decided to trust him. For each treatment, he would increase the intensity. I had my fourth- and most painful- treatment on Tuesday. I have a high tolerance for pain (I get my cavities filled without novocaine, for example), but I really had to focus on my breathing to get through it. I had to remind myself that childbirth was worse. Possibly. When he finished, my doctor said that we would have a three week break, so that “the magic can happen.” OOH! I like the sound of that! He said I should definitely see a change during these weeks, and at the end of that time I would probably need another treatment. I’ve already started to see little moments of improvement- a couple times where I stood up and expected to feel pain, but it wasn’t there. I know it’s not going to be cured in the next few weeks, but I’m starting to feel a glimmer of hope. When this is all over- hopefully- I’m going to do a deeper dive into shockwave therapy, why it works, and the exact kind my doctor used. I haven’t done it yet because I don’t want this to be yet another “miracle” cure for plantar fasciitis that doesn’t pan out. My doctor says this has worked for 100% of his patients though, so that post should be coming. At this point I can’t even remember what it’s like to just get out of bed without limping, hopping, desperately trying to navigate my way to the bathroom. But one of these days… eventually… I’ll be able to do it. And I’ll be able to increase my running speed and distance, without my foot holding me back. I’m excited! Just waiting for the magic to happen. Do you have a high or low tolerance to pain? – I think women tend to have a high pain tolerance. Ever had shockwave therapy?