PEMF and Cold Laser for Plantar Fasciitis
wondering (NY) on 08/17/2021:
I've had PF (Plantar Fasciitis) for over a year. I've waited 4 months to post this until I was sure of my results. I developed PF for the first time in my life a year ago by walking barefoot all the time everyday for weeks, both indoors and outdoors (something I'd never done before). The pain was like a knife in my heel. I tried 4 kinds of night braces, 4 kinds of stretching regimens, wraps, apple cider vinegar and various supplements and creams with no improvement. Some of the most highly touted stretching routines (including some on earth clinic) actually made me worse. Only ice massage alleviated the pain for a few hours. I tried 5 kinds of "PF-specific" shoes, all of which did nothing or made the pain worse, except for 1 pair that at least made walking short distances bearable.
4 months ago I started intensive daily treatments with a 1 watt infra-red LLL (low-level or "cold" laser) on 4 spots on my foot for 3 minutes each. I also used a wearable Pulsed Electro Magnetic Field device directly on the heel for 2-4 hours/day. I don't know whether it was the laser or PEMF (probably both, based on my research) but within a week I started to feel a difference in pain level.
Now, 4 months later, it is 95-100% cured and I have resumed running and hiking for the first time in a year. I say 95% because after doing 3 consecutive days of high intensity running and long distance hiking I can feel something in the heel but the pain is less than 1 on a 1-10 scale. I continue to run every day and still treat with laser and PEMF daily.
