Plantar Fasciitis Treatment in Bellingham, WA

There is no single best treatment for every foot. For most people, a structured rehabilitation program — calf and plantar fascia stretching, intrinsic foot strengthening, supportive footwear, and activity modification — resolves plantar fasciitis without any procedure, and it should come first.

When heel pain persists despite several months of consistent conservative care, the next step depends on your exam and ultrasound findings. Shockwave therapy (ESWT) has the strongest body of evidence for chronic plantar fasciitis and is non-invasive, so it is often the first in-office treatment Dr. Borys considers. PRP and prolotherapy are injection-based options that may be appropriate in selected cases. Dr. Borys reviews what you have already tried and gives you an honest recommendation rather than defaulting to an injection.

For chronic plantar fasciitis, shockwave therapy (extracorporeal shockwave therapy, or ESWT) is one of the better-supported non-surgical options. It uses acoustic pressure waves to stimulate blood flow and a healing response in the degenerated plantar fascia, with no injection, anesthesia, or downtime.

It is not an instant fix — it is typically delivered as a short series of weekly sessions, and improvement builds gradually over several weeks. Shockwave tends to help most in long-standing heel pain that has not responded to stretching and orthotics. Dr. Borys reviews your ultrasound and history to determine whether shockwave is a reasonable starting point for your foot.

PRP (platelet-rich plasma) concentrates the healing platelets from a small sample of your own blood and delivers them, under ultrasound guidance, into the degenerated plantar fascia to support tissue repair. Several randomized trials have found that PRP can produce meaningful, durable improvement in chronic plantar fasciitis — in some studies outperforming corticosteroid injections by six months, because PRP aims to help the tissue heal rather than simply quieting inflammation.

Results vary between studies and PRP is not right for every foot. It is generally reserved for chronic cases that have not responded to rehabilitation and shockwave. Dr. Borys gives you an honest assessment of whether PRP is a reasonable option for your heel pain.

Cortisone (corticosteroid) injections can relieve plantar fasciitis pain quickly by suppressing inflammation, but the relief is often short-lived, and the injection does not repair the degenerated fascia. More importantly, repeated steroid injections into the plantar fascia carry well-documented risks, including plantar fascia rupture and heel fat-pad atrophy — both of which can cause worse, longer-lasting problems than the original condition.

For these reasons, Dr. Borys generally favors treatments that support actual tissue healing — shockwave, PRP, and prolotherapy — for chronic plantar fasciitis, rather than relying on repeated cortisone shots.

It depends on which treatment fits your foot. Shockwave therapy is usually delivered as a short series of weekly sessions, with improvement building over the following weeks. PRP is often a single, accurately placed injection, with some patients benefiting from a second treatment; soreness for a few days afterward is normal, and clearer improvement typically develops over 4–12 weeks. Prolotherapy is generally a series of sessions spaced several weeks apart.

Across all of these options, plantar fasciitis treatment works gradually rather than instantly. Dr. Borys reassesses your response and adjusts the plan as you go.

Surgery for plantar fasciitis is rarely needed. The large majority of cases resolve with non-surgical treatment, and surgery is generally reserved for the small number of patients who have not improved after many months of comprehensive conservative care.

Non-surgical options such as shockwave, PRP, and prolotherapy aim to address the underlying tissue degeneration without an incision or prolonged recovery. If you have been considering surgery for stubborn heel pain, Dr. Borys recommends exhausting these options first.

Shockwave therapy and regenerative injections such as PRP and prolotherapy are generally not covered by insurance and are paid out of pocket, as most plans still classify them as investigational. The initial evaluation, however, is a standard office visit that may be billed through insurance depending on your individual plan and coverage.

Dr. Borys treats chronic plantar fasciitis in Bellingham, WA, serving patients throughout Whatcom County and the surrounding region. Pricing and which option is most appropriate for your foot are reviewed at your initial visit.