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Comparing Laser Therapy to Traditional Treatments for Heel Pain


Person touching painful heel

Heel pain is holding you back from living your best life. You don’t want to go out anymore because of it, even standing in line at the grocery store causes you severe discomfort. Fortunately, that doesn’t need to be the case.


Laser therapy is a modern, advanced way of helping patients deal with heel pain. 


In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how laser therapy works and how it compares to more traditional treatments for heel pain.


What Causes Heel Pain


Heel pain is generally caused by repetitive stress. It can come in a few different forms, such as:


  • Plantar faciitis

  • Achilles tendinitis

  • Heel bursitis

  • Heel spurs

You may have your own methods for coping; stretches, icing and heating, pain medication, or orthotics. These methods may provide some relief, but for many people these are not enough. That’s where laser therapy can help.


How Does Laser Therapy Work for Heel Pain Treatment?


Laser therapy uses state-of-the-art technology to help relieve your heel pain. It delivers a low-level light therapy to the problem area. The light is held there for several minutes, with the goal of encouraging cellular metabolism and improving the immune response. 

This combats inflammation, which offers some relief, and speeds up the healing process. In just a few sessions, you may see significant improvements in your heel pain. You’ll be back on your feet, pain-free, before you know it! 


How It Differs from Other Methods


There are many different methods for treating foot pain. Laser therapy is a modern technique that offers a few benefits over some of the other available methods. 


  • Resting and Icing

    Resting and icing is a more passive method of treating the pain. You let the healing process happen naturally, treating the pain with medication as needed. They may work, but their healing time is slower. When it comes to laser therapy, you may start to see results after only 1 or 2 sessions. 


  • Physical Therapy

    Physical therapy can often be used in tandem with laser therapy. Laser therapy is aimed at repairing the damage that has occurred. Meanwhile, physical therapy is focused on strengthening your muscles to help prevent future problems. When working together, you can come out stronger than ever. 

  • Shockwave Therapy 

    Shockwave therapy is another modern treatment technique. Similar to laser therapy, it uses state-of-the-art technology to improve blood flow to the pained area. However, shockwave therapy does not work to reduce inflammation like laser therapy does. Shockwave therapy works by inciting the inflammation response to speed up the healing process, whereas laser therapy reduces inflammation.


Dalhousie Station Foot Clinic Provides Laser Therapy in Calgary


At Dalhousie Station Foot Clinic, our goal is to help you live pain-free so you can go about your life without a worry. 


Our facility is well-equipped to deal with many foot concerns. We offer low-level laser therapy to reduce your foot pain. We are one of the few podiatrists in Calgary to have a private surgery facility on site, which allows us to effectively treatment many different foot problems.


Please contact us today to request an appointment.

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