Plantar Fasciitis: When Your Heel Bone Becomes Your Hell Bone - The New RSWT May Be the Cure You Have Been Waiting For

Online, November 24, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Over 50% of Americans will suffer from heel pain at some point in their lifetime. Although, it is difficult to find exact statistics on heel pain since most of the people that suffer from plantar fasciitis do not come in for treatment. In fact, according to Dr. Jack A. Reingold, podiatrist in Solana Beach, CA, "about 20% of the patients I treat suffer from some type of heel pain." Heel pain is most often caused by plantar fasciitis, a condition that is sometimes also called heel spur syndrome. However, heel pain may also be due to other causes, such as a stress fracture, arthritis, tendonitis, nerve irritation, or, rarely, a cyst.

If you are one of the millions of Americans that suffers from chronic heel pain and traditional treatments such as, anti-inflammatory medications, ice packs, stretching exercises, orthotic devices, and physical therapy do not seem to be working for you, then we may have the solution you have been waiting for, RSWT.

What is RSWT?

The new Radial Shock Wave Therapy (RSWT) is a fast, gentle and most importantly a non-surgical method of reducing foot pain and getting you back on your feet. It works by sending shockwaves, also known as pressure or sound waves, through the skin and onto the targeted tissue. When the shockwaves make contact with the inflamed tissue they stimulate your body's natural self-healing process. This treatment is non- invasive and there is no surgery involved. It is a safe and effective alternative to traditional heel pain treatments. RSWT has been approved by the FDA specifically for heel pain. Currently www.coastpodiatrygroup.com has the only one of these FDA approved devices in San Diego.

How is this treatment performed?

This procedure is performed in Dr. Reingold's office. After a careful examination, the point of maximum pain is marked and ultrasonic transmission gel will be applied to the foot. The RSWT hand piece is placed on the marked area and it will gently transmit shock waves over the injured area. Remember this is a non-invasive procedure. There are virtually no known side effects since there is no need for medication, anesthetic injections or skin incisions that would require sutures. It is such a gently procedure you will be able to walk right out of the office once you are done with your RSWT treatment! It often takes 3 treatment sessions, spaced about a week apart, for treatment success. Although, some patients feel immediate relief it usually takes several weeks for the benefits of RSWT to become obvious.

***For more information regarding RSWT please take a look at www.coastpodiatrygroup.com