Treatment of Heel Pain with Softlaser
A common cause of heel pain is inflammation occurring at the junction of the heel bone and the plantar fascia or Achilles tendon. It torments people for months, sometimes years, and is difficult to get rid of. Every step is very painful, as if you were stepping on a pin cushion. The first step is especially unpleasant; later, it "warms up" a bit and the pain lessens. In home treatment, the more anti-inflammatory methods you "deploy," the greater the chance of success. Cold–heat, therapeutic ultrasound, microcurrent, magnetic therapy, and softlaser all help, but in different ways. That is why they enhance each other's effects. Now, I will only present the home use of the softlaser, specifically the B-Cure device.
A common cause of heel pain is inflammation, occurring at the junction of the heel bone and the plantar fascia or Achilles tendon. It can torment a person for months, sometimes years, and is difficult to get rid of. Every step is very painful, as if you were stepping on a pin cushion. The first step is especially unpleasant; later, it "warms up" a bit and the pain lessens. The more anti-inflammatory methods you "deploy" during home treatment, the higher the chance of success. Cold–heat, therapeutic ultrasound, microcurrent, magnetic therapy, and softlaser all help, but in different ways. Therefore, they strengthen each other's effects. Now I will present only softlaser, specifically the home use of the B-Cure device.
Application and Effect of Softlaser
During softlaser treatment, hold the device over the painful area and direct the laser beam at the pain. The light penetrates the treated tissues. The cells "absorb" the energy, which initiates ATP (energy) production and protein synthesis that had stopped due to inflammation. That is, softlaser effectively stimulates your body's self-healing processes and releases pain-relieving substances.
The effect of softlaser treatment takes time to develop because regenerative processes—while your body "repairs the damage"—require time. Just think about how long a bone fracture takes to heal! Eliminating heel pain lasting for months, plantar fasciitis, or inflammation caused by overload of the Achilles tendon cannot happen in minutes either.
However, softlaser treatment results in an actual change, meaning that laser treatment is not just symptomatic but a healing procedure even for heel inflammation.
Softlaser Treatment for Heel Pain
You can choose among three types of B-Cure devices. Each emits the same wavelength laser beam, so they have the same healing effect. The difference lies in the devices' energy output, which means they deliver the same amount of energy over different durations.
B-Cure Classic Softlaser
- Class 1 laser power
- 808 nanometer laser beam
- PW (pulsed) laser
- 250mW power
- 6 minutes / 5 Joules
For the Classic device with 3.75 Joules power, 6 minutes are needed; the Sport (4.5 Joules) requires 5 minutes, and the Pro version requires 4.5 minutes. This means you have to hold the device on a specific spot for this duration to deliver the energy required for healing.
Turn on the device and use the plus button to set the recommended treatment time.
Place the device on the painful area, directly on the skin. The laser light does not penetrate through clothes or bandages, so the treatment would be ineffective!
Treatment points for heel pain (heel spur): the plantar surface of the heel, the inside edge of the foot, both edges of the heel bone, the back of the heel. For Achilles tendon inflammation, injury, or post-surgery: the back of the heel and the point above it, the right and left sides of the heel bone.
Hold the device stationary at these points until the set time runs out. The device will notify you. Then repeat the same procedure on the next treatment point.
You do not feel anything during softlaser treatment. The area heats up slightly due to absorbed energy, but this is at most only a tenth of a degree Celsius.
During the first sessions, you may feel an increase in pain. Don't be alarmed! This is a natural process and signals the start of healing. Toxins (poisons) are released from the inflamed tissues during treatment, which your body interprets as pain. This disappears after 1-2 treatments.
It takes several days, at least 10-12, until the inflammation resolves. If you feel symptoms easing, do not stop treatment. Only stop after complete healing.
IMPORTANT! Doubling the treatment time does not increase the effect; too much energy actually stops healing!!! So hold the device only for the recommended duration at one point and no longer.
What Results Can You Expect?
Softlaser treatment is not "omnipotent" — as with no other medical treatment. You cannot always expect a permanent solution from it! Whether you successfully heal depends on how long ago your heel pain started.
If no more than 1-2 months have passed since the onset of pain, softlaser will eliminate inflammation and thus prevent the formation of a heel spur. The spur forms because minerals deposit in the inflammatory exudate, creating a growing "build-up." It is like a stalactite! Every water drop increases the stalactite — every minute of inflammation increases the spur. If water dripping stops, the stalactite no longer grows. If you eliminate inflammation, the spur will not grow further.
If an X-ray has already detected a heel spur—that is, a bone growth formed due to old inflammation at the junction of the tendon and bone—then you are late! Although softlaser can still reduce pain and inflammation, the extra bone will continually "irritate" the tendon during each step, interfering with tendon movement, causing inflammation to flare repeatedly. If extra bone is visible on the X-ray, unfortunately, only surgery can permanently eliminate your symptoms; softlaser here only temporarily relieves pain.
Therefore, start softlaser treatment as early as possible after pain begins to eliminate inflammation and prevent bone build-up.
