Shockwave therapy

Im having post op problems with my surgery foot, a lot of problems and to be honest its pissing me off. My recent problem is reacting to the hardware in the two tendons in my arch.

My foot surgeon immediately put me back in my boot to rest the tendons. Which causes a multitude of other problems in the rest of the foot. We discussed steroid injections and a few other things and eventually it was decided that I would have shock wave therapy. 

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) is a noninvasive surgical procedure that uses sound waves to stimulate healing in some physical disorders, including plantar fasciitis. "Extracorporeal" means "outside of the body" and refers to the way the therapy is applied. Because there is no incision, ESWT offers two main advantages over traditional surgical methods: fewer potential complications and a faster return to normal activity. ESWT has been used extensively for several years to treat plantar fasciitis and other disorders. http://www.weil4feet.com/patients/education/shockwave-therapy.php

X marks the spot

15 mins later my foot is snoring

I arrived at Dr Vittori's office straight from my regular foot physical therapy. After examination I had two numbing injections and waited until my foot was good and asleep. Im not a huge fan of having my feet numbed, I never know how my nerves will react when they wake up.

Dr Vittori was kind enough to let me take pictures as he was performing the procedure. http://www.vittorifootclinic.com/

Once good and numbed Dr Vittori could start. It was very similar to an ultrasound, completely pain free and took around 10 minutes. The machine did startle me though because it sounded like a pneumatic drill.

I will be having 3 treatments over 3 weeks for maximum benefit and I have no exercise restrictions. 

Dr Vittori explained that pro sports players had the procedure often because it is non-invasive.

I was told the nerve numbing injection would last around 4 hours so I was very wobbly when it was time to leave. 

Thankfully my foot woke up around 7.30pm and my neuropathy was no worse than it usually is.

Verdict.

Pros: Non invasive, fast, easy, no restrictions

Cons: You may have to pay out of pocket for the procedure, if you dont like needles you wont like being numbed, if you arent numbed then you might have to have a lower frequency and you may not get as good a result.