Feet…for a triathlete can be your friend or foe. 

Plantar fasciitis niggles should never be ignored. That pain in the band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot each step you take affects you in training and everyday life.  Plantar fasciitis has been recognised as one of the more common injuries in triathletes and long distance runners and is particularly attributed to contributing factors such as overuse, running shoes and technique.  Orthotics, cross-training and other approaches have all been suggested as possible problem solvers, but a recent study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine (Aug 2017) brings new hope to sufferers with the use of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ECSWT). 

Shockwave Therapy is a non-invasive solution for chronic musculoskeletal pain which focusses on igniting the natural healing processes within the body. Applications are mostly associated with the treatment of chronic muscular and tendon disorders, back, lower limb and foot pain. In a recent American study, patients who were dealing with chronic plantar fasciitis underwent shockwave therapy, which proved beneficial in terms of both pain reduction and overall function. 

BodyPlan’s Exercise Physiologist and Rehab specialist, Tim Evans highlights the positive effects he is seeing from his clients.  More specifically, he emphasises the cumulative healing affect that occurs over time.  He suggests that as little as 3 treatments can trigger initial relief as well as igniting a natural healing process that can accumulate over time.    

However, Tim highlights, that this needs to be done as a holistic rehabilitation approach and not seen as the only element to your treatment.  There are many factors, including rest periods, postural analysis and technique that needs to be considered when undertaking the treatment.  

Daniel Mangano, the High Performance Operations Manager at Triathlon Australia has been managing a groin injury for over 3 years.  Dan underwent 3 sessions with BodyPlan’s shockwave therapy treatment in conjunction with prescribed exercise physiology and he started to get results.  He highlights that Shockwave Therapy definitely assisted the healing process, as it allowed the treatment get to areas that a physio treatment just can’t get to.  He sees great potential in this use of technology for triathletes and feels that the cumulative affect of healing is notable. 

Cortisone or Shockwave Therapy?

One of the bigger questions on everybody’s minds is when to utilise Shockwave over Cortisone treatments.  This is where Tim highlights the importance of BodyPlan’s partnership with Red Radiology.  At BodyPlan we are able to work in conjunction with MSK Radiologist who are specialists in sports imaging.  The partnership was borne out of Red Radiology’s desire to be as proactive with their patients as possible in addressing sports related injuries.  Quite often, the answer to this comes down to an individual assessment of the person’s body. 

His approach is not purely based on offering just Shockwave Therapy but rather a combination of treatments that works best for the individual, whether that be Shockwave Therapy, Dry Needling and/or Remedial Massage treatments.