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Month: August 2026

The Wellness PlaceThe Wellness Blog2026August
By admin Podiatry

Shockwave Therapy: A Non-Invasive Fix for Chronic Heel and Tendon Pain

Shockwave Therapy: A Non-Invasive Fix for Chronic Heel and Tendon Pain

Waking up and hobbling to the bathroom on a heel that feels like you’re stepping on a bruise is no way to start the day. If that’s been your reality for months — or even years — you’ve probably already tried rest, ice, stretches, and a new pair of shoes, only for the ache to creep straight back the moment you get moving again.

Shockwave therapy Bassendean is a non-invasive, drug-free treatment that uses acoustic pressure waves to wake up your body’s own healing response in stubborn tendons and soft tissue. At The Wellness Place in Bassendean, our podiatrists use it most often for plantar fasciopathy, Achilles tendinopathy, and chronic heel pain — the kind that hasn’t budged with other treatments. Here’s how it works, what it actually feels like, and what the evidence says.

What is radial shockwave therapy?

Radial shockwave therapy (also called extracorporeal shock wave therapy, or ESWT) delivers fast, high-energy acoustic pulses through a handheld applicator pressed against your skin. It’s nothing like the shockwaves used to break up kidney stones — the energy levels are far lower, and the waves spread out across a broader patch of tissue rather than concentrating on a single deep point.

There are no needles, no incisions, and no anaesthetic — and a typical session takes just 10 to 15 minutes, so you can get straight back to your day.

How does shockwave therapy Bassendean work?

At its heart, shockwave therapy works through a process called mechanotransduction — a fancy word for turning mechanical pressure into a biological signal. When the acoustic pulses hit a damaged tendon or fascia, they create a controlled, microscopic disturbance in the tissue, and your body reads that as a signal to get to work.

A jump-start for stalled healing

Chronic tendon and heel pain usually isn’t an active injury — it’s a healing process that stalled. Shockwave therapy restarts it by boosting blood flow to the area, encouraging new collagen to form, and helping the tissue remodel stronger than before.

Turning down the volume on pain

The pulses also appear to desensitise the overactive pain nerves in the area. Many people notice their pain dials down within a few sessions, even before the tissue itself has fully remodelled.

Conditions we treat with shockwave therapy

Shockwave therapy isn’t for every ache and pain, but it’s a strong option for chronic conditions that haven’t responded to usual first-line care. These are the three we see most often.

Plantar fasciopathy (plantar fasciitis)

The thick band of tissue under your arch — the plantar fascia — can become irritated right where it attaches to the heel bone. That’s the classic “first steps in the morning” heel pain. Shockwave therapy is one of the most studied treatments for this condition, particularly when stretching and orthotics haven’t been enough.

Achilles tendinopathy

Pain and stiffness at the back of the heel, often worse first thing in the morning or after exercise. Because the Achilles tendon has a notoriously poor blood supply, it can be slow to heal — which is exactly the kind of case where shockwave’s blood-flow boost makes a real difference.

Chronic heel pain

Not all heel pain is plantar fasciopathy. Whether it’s insertional Achilles pain, a stubborn heel spur, or diffuse soreness that’s been hanging around for months, shockwave therapy can help settle tissue that’s been grumbling far too long.

What does a session actually feel like?

Most people describe the sensation as a firm, rapid tapping — like a small hammer drumming against the skin — sometimes with a sharp or “zingy” edge over the most tender spots. It’s uncomfortable for short bursts, but not unbearable, and each pulse lasts only a fraction of a second.

During treatment

Your practitioner marks out the painful area and runs the applicator over it for 10 to 15 minutes. You stay awake throughout, and if a spot feels too intense the pressure can be adjusted to suit you.

After treatment

It’s normal to feel a little tender, even slightly bruised, for a day or two afterwards. You might notice a dull ache that evening — that’s the healing response kicking in, and it usually settles quickly. Most treatment plans run three to five sessions, spaced about a week apart.

The evidence behind shockwave therapy

There’s a substantial body of research behind shockwave therapy, particularly for heel and tendon pain.

A 2013 systematic review in the journal Foot & Ankle International concluded there was “satisfactory evidence” for low-energy shockwave therapy in treating chronic Achilles tendinopathy, before patients need to consider surgery. For plantar fasciitis, a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, multicentre trial concluded that shockwave therapy was both effective and safe for people with chronic proximal plantar fasciitis that hadn’t responded to exhaustive conservative treatment. More recently, a 2024 systematic review in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation found that shockwave therapy significantly reduced pain across a range of tendinopathies.

The honest caveat: results vary from person to person, and shockwave works best as part of a broader plan — paired with strengthening, load management, and sometimes orthotics — rather than as a magic one-off fix. That’s exactly how we approach it at The Wellness Place.

Is shockwave therapy right for you?

If you’ve been dealing with heel or tendon pain for more than a few months and it isn’t improving, shockwave therapy is worth a conversation. Our podiatrists at The Wellness Place Bassendean will assess what’s actually driving your pain first — because the right treatment always starts with the right diagnosis. And because chronic pain rarely has a single cause, we’ll work alongside our physiotherapists and chiropractors to make sure nothing gets missed.

Ready to find out whether shockwave therapy could help you? Call The Wellness Place Bassendean on (08) 9379 3838, or drop into our clinic at 9 Old Perth Road, Bassendean, to book an appointment. Your feet have been carrying you this far — let’s give them a hand.

References

  1. Al-Abbad H, Simon JV. The effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on chronic Achilles tendinopathy: a systematic review. Foot & Ankle International. 2013;34(1):33–41. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23386759/
  2. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy versus placebo for the treatment of chronic proximal plantar fasciitis: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, multicenter intervention trial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16818146/
  3. The effect of extracorporeal shock-wave therapy on pain in patients with various tendinopathies: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2024. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13102-024-00884-8
By admin Podiatry

Achilles Tendinopathy: Why Your Heel Won’t Stop Hurting and How Podiatry Fixes It

Achilles Tendinopathy: Why Your Heel Won’t Stop Hurting and How Podiatry Fixes It

That sharp, grabby pain at the back of your heel — the one that greets you first thing in the morning and lingers after every run or long day on your feet — has a name, and it’s not something you have to simply put up with.

It’s called Achilles tendinopathy, one of the most common overuse injuries we treat at The Wellness Place in Bassendean. The encouraging part? Effective achilles tendinopathy treatment Bassendean residents can trust is right on your doorstep. Here’s what’s going on in your tendon, why it keeps flaring up, and the proven treatments our podiatrists use to get you moving again.

What Is Achilles Tendinopathy, Exactly?

Your Achilles tendon is the thick, ropy band connecting your calf muscles to your heel bone. It’s the strongest tendon in your body, and every step, hop and sprint loads it with several times your body weight.

Tendinopathy happens when that tendon gets overloaded and breaks down faster than it can repair itself. Despite the old name “tendonitis,” there’s usually little inflammation involved — the fibres become disorganised, thickened and sore, a wear-and-tear problem rather than a swelling one.

There are two main types. Mid-portion tendinopathy — the most common — hurts in the middle of the tendon, a few centimetres above the heel. Insertional tendinopathy hurts right where the tendon meets the heel bone. Knowing which you have matters, because it changes how we treat it.

Why Does It Happen?

The short answer is overload: asking the tendon to do more than it’s conditioned to handle. The usual culprit is a sudden change in running load — ramping up weekly kilometres too quickly, adding hills or speed sessions, or jumping straight back into training after a break. The tendon simply hasn’t had time to adapt.

But it’s rarely just one thing. Weak or tight calves shift extra strain onto the tendon. Stiff ankles and flat or high-arched feet change how force travels through your lower leg. Worn-out shoes, extra body weight, and simply getting older all stack the deck against it. That’s why a good assessment looks at the whole picture, not just the sore spot.

The Stages of Achilles Tendinopathy

Achilles tendinopathy doesn’t usually come out of nowhere — it creeps up in stages, and catching it early makes a big difference to how quickly it settles.

Early: the “warm-up” phase

A mild ache that’s worst first thing in the morning or at the start of a run, then eases as you warm up. Lots of people shrug this off, but it’s the easiest stage to fix.

Middle: pain that interrupts

Pain that starts to hang around during activity and lingers afterwards. The tendon may feel stiff or thickened, and you might notice a small lump. This is where most people finally book in.

Late: constant grumbling

The tendon hurts most days, even with ordinary walking. There’s real structural change by now, and without treatment there’s a genuine risk of progressing to a partial tear or full rupture.

The reassuring news: at every stage, the right treatment can turn things around. It just takes longer the further along it’s gone.

Achilles Tendinopathy Treatment in Bassendean

Here’s the thing that surprises most people: complete rest almost never works for this. The tendon needs to be loaded — carefully and progressively — to remodel and get strong again. Our podiatrists build a plan around the treatments with the strongest evidence.

1. Load management

The first step is removing the aggravating spike — temporarily swapping high-impact running for cycling or swimming, or dialling your volume back to a level the tendon can tolerate. The goal isn’t to stop moving; it’s to find the “happy zone” where the tendon gets just enough work to heal.

2. Strength exercises

Loading the tendon through targeted calf and heel-raise exercises is the best-supported treatment for Achilles tendinopathy. Eccentric heel drops — slowly lowering your heel off a step — and heavy slow resistance training both have strong research behind them. We’ll prescribe the version that suits your pain and progress it week by week.

3. Shockwave therapy

For stubborn, chronic cases, extracorporeal shockwave therapy can be a real turning point. It delivers focused soundwave pulses to stimulate healing and calm pain, and works best when combined with the right exercises. It’s quick, non-invasive, and many people improve within a few sessions.

4. Orthotics and footwear

If the way you move is part of the problem, we can correct it at the source. Custom orthotics redistribute pressure through the foot, take strain off the tendon, and support arches that work against you — helping stop the injury from quietly returning.

When to See a Podiatrist

If heel pain has hung around for more than a week or two, that’s your cue to get it looked at. Book in sooner if the pain stops you running or playing sport, it’s worst first thing in the morning, you can feel a lump, or you’ve heard a sudden “pop” with severe pain — that last one is a medical emergency, so head straight to hospital.

At The Wellness Place in Bassendean, our podiatrists assess how your whole body moves, not just your heel, so we treat the cause rather than the symptom. As a multidisciplinary clinic, we also offer physiotherapy, remedial massage and clinical Pilates under one roof, plus chiropractic and naturopathy to support your recovery from every angle.

Ready to Fix That Heel for Good?

You don’t have to give up running or limp through your day. The right achilles tendinopathy treatment can have you pain-free faster than you’d expect — and it starts with a proper assessment.

Call The Wellness Place on (08) 9379 3838 to book with one of our podiatrists, or pop in at 103 Old Perth Road, Bassendean. Your tendon will thank you.

References

  • Better Health Channel (Victorian Government) — Achilles tendinopathy
  • Cleveland Clinic — Achilles Tendinitis: Symptoms & Treatment
  • StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf) — Achilles Tendinopathy
  • PubMed (PMC) — Current Clinical Concepts: Conservative Management of Achilles Tendinopathy