Struggling with persistent heel pain, plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendon pain? Combining shockwave therapy with custom orthotics may help reduce discomfort, improve foot function and support your recovery.
At Frenchs Forest Foot Clinic, we take a comprehensive approach to treating foot and lower limb pain. Rather than simply addressing the painful area, we look at the underlying biomechanical factors that may be contributing to the problem.
Two treatments that can work well together are shockwave therapy and custom orthotics. When used as part of an individualised treatment plan, they can address different aspects of your condition and help you return to everyday activities with greater comfort.
What Is Shockwave Therapy?
Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that uses acoustic pressure waves to stimulate a response in targeted tissues. It is commonly used in podiatry to help manage certain persistent tendon and soft tissue conditions.
Shockwave therapy may be recommended for conditions such as:
- Plantar fasciitis: Persistent pain beneath the heel, particularly with the first steps in the morning.
- Achilles tendinopathy: Pain and stiffness around the Achilles tendon.
- Chronic heel pain: Discomfort that has not adequately improved with initial treatment.
- Other selected tendon conditions: Depending on the diagnosis and clinical assessment.
Shockwave therapy aims to stimulate tissue responses associated with healing and reduce pain over time. Some patients experience improvement after a small number of sessions, while others require a longer course of treatment.
Importantly, shockwave therapy does not correct every underlying cause of foot pain. This is where addressing foot mechanics and loading becomes particularly valuable.
What Are Custom Orthotics?
Custom orthotics are individually prescribed devices designed to fit inside your footwear and help manage how forces are distributed through your feet and lower limbs.
Following a biomechanical assessment, custom orthotics may be designed to help:
- Redistribute pressure away from painful areas.
- Reduce excessive or poorly tolerated loading on particular tissues.
- Improve foot function during walking, running and other activities.
- Support the foot where additional control is clinically indicated.
- Assist with managing lower limb conditions associated with altered loading patterns.
Custom orthotics are not simply about correcting flat feet or changing the way you walk. Their primary purpose is to help manage the forces acting on your feet and lower limbs in a way that suits your individual needs.
Why Combine Shockwave Therapy and Custom Orthotics?
Shockwave therapy and custom orthotics can complement each other because they address different parts of the problem.
Shockwave therapy targets the painful tissue, while custom orthotics can help modify the mechanical stresses contributing to that tissue’s symptoms.
1. Targeting Pain While Managing the Cause
Persistent foot pain often develops when a particular tissue is exposed to repeated or excessive loading.
For example, someone with plantar fasciitis may experience pain beneath the heel due to repeated stress on the plantar fascia. Shockwave therapy may help manage persistent symptoms, while appropriately prescribed orthotics can help redistribute pressure and modify loading during everyday activities.
Addressing both symptoms and contributing biomechanical factors may provide a more comprehensive approach than relying on one treatment alone.
2. Reducing Stress on Painful Tissues
When walking or running, your feet absorb and transfer significant forces. If these forces are not well tolerated by a particular structure, symptoms may persist.
Custom orthotics can be designed to redistribute pressure and modify loading according to your individual foot mechanics. This may help reduce irritation in selected painful areas while you continue with normal daily activities and rehabilitation.
When combined with shockwave therapy, the aim is to manage pain while also addressing the stresses that may be contributing to it.
3. Improving Foot Biomechanics
Foot mechanics can influence how forces travel through the ankles and lower limbs.
A biomechanical assessment helps identify relevant factors such as foot posture, joint movement, walking or running patterns, footwear and areas of excessive pressure.
Custom orthotics can then be prescribed where appropriate to help manage these factors. Shockwave therapy may be added when the affected tissue is suitable for treatment.
The combination is tailored to the individual rather than applying the same treatment to every patient.
4. Supporting Rehabilitation and Return to Activity
Persistent heel and tendon pain can make walking, exercise and sport difficult. Reducing symptoms is important, but restoring your ability to tolerate activity is equally valuable.
A treatment plan may combine shockwave therapy, custom orthotics, footwear advice, activity modification and a progressive strengthening programme.
This approach aims to improve comfort, manage loading and gradually rebuild the affected tissue’s capacity for everyday demands.
Which Conditions May Benefit From This Combination?
Shockwave therapy and custom orthotics may be considered together for selected patients with:
Plantar fasciitis
Heel pain that is particularly noticeable during the first steps after getting out of bed or after sitting for a prolonged period. Shockwave therapy may help persistent symptoms, while orthotics may assist with managing plantar fascia loading.
Achilles tendinopathy
Pain, stiffness or tenderness around the Achilles tendon. Shockwave therapy may be appropriate for certain cases, while orthotics and footwear modifications may help manage mechanical loading when indicated.
Forefoot pain
Pain beneath the ball of the foot can result from increased pressure, footwear problems or other conditions. Orthotics may help redistribute pressure, while shockwave therapy is only appropriate for selected diagnoses.
Other persistent foot and lower limb conditions
Some patients with ongoing tendon or soft tissue pain may benefit from a combined approach following an individual assessment. The suitability of each treatment depends on the underlying diagnosis.
What Does Treatment Involve?
At Frenchs Forest Foot Clinic, treatment begins with understanding your symptoms and identifying the factors contributing to your pain.
Your appointment may include:
- Comprehensive assessment: We discuss your symptoms, medical history, activity levels and treatment goals.
- Biomechanical examination: We assess relevant foot and lower limb mechanics, footwear and loading patterns.
- Individualised treatment plan: We determine whether shockwave therapy, custom orthotics or other treatments are appropriate.
- Shockwave therapy: Where indicated, treatment is directed at the affected tissue over a planned series of sessions.
- Custom orthotics: If prescribed, orthotics are designed to help manage your individual loading requirements.
- Review and rehabilitation: We monitor your response and adjust the treatment plan as needed, including exercises and activity guidance.
Not everyone requires both treatments. Some patients improve with orthotics and rehabilitation alone, while others may benefit from shockwave therapy as part of their care.
How Long Does It Take to See Results?
Recovery depends on the condition being treated, how long symptoms have been present, activity levels and other individual factors.
Some patients notice improvement during their treatment programme, while others need several weeks or longer to see meaningful changes. Custom orthotics may also require an adjustment period as you become accustomed to wearing them.
There is no guaranteed timeframe, and combining treatments does not automatically mean faster recovery. Regular review helps ensure that your treatment remains appropriate and that progress is monitored.
Take the Next Step Towards Better Foot Health
If persistent foot pain is affecting your walking, work, exercise or sporting activities, addressing both the painful tissue and the mechanical factors contributing to your symptoms may be worthwhile.
At Frenchs Forest Foot Clinic, we provide individualised podiatry care, including shockwave therapy, biomechanical assessments and custom orthotics, to help patients manage foot and lower limb conditions.
Book an appointment with our experienced podiatrists to find out whether combining shockwave therapy and custom orthotics is suitable for your condition.
Frenchs Forest Foot Clinic
Building 7, Suite 1, 49 Frenchs Forest Road East, Frenchs Forest NSW 2086
02 9453 4400
www.fffc.com.au