Extra Corporeal Pulse Activation Technology (EPAT®) is a mouthful, but this innovative therapy addresses multiple foot problems that can cause significant pain and discomfort as well as limit your mobility.
Our team at Premier Foot & Ankle embraces diverse advanced treatments for all types of foot conditions, and we continue to be impressed with EPAT treatment results. Our goal with every patient is to fully understand the challenges posed by your symptoms and conditions and to create the most customized, progressive treatment plan possible.
We applaud EPATⓇ therapy, also known as shock wave therapy, because it’s a noninvasive, incredibly successful, state-of-the-art treatment platform for a range of conditions. FDA-approved, EPAT treatment is safe and involves the delivery of soundwaves to your targeted treatment area, which:
Treatment is delivered via a device that is proprietary technology, meaning it’s unique — there’s only one EPAT therapy. Acoustic waves, or sound waves, are directed in a very focused way to your targeted treatment area, and the results are consistently dramatic.
What conditions can EPAT therapy treat?
Although EPAT treatment is effective for a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions, there are some podiatric issues it’s particularly successful in treating.
Your plantar fascia is a thick band of supportive tissue that runs the length of your foot and supports your arches. Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition that develops when this tissue becomes inflamed — typically due to small tears that occur when this band of tissue is overstretched.
Calcium buildup that develops where your plantar fascia attaches to your heel bone can also lead to heel pain, which can be severe. Other symptoms include tingling and burning sensations in your heel and stiff calves. The discomfort usually worsens after periods of inactivity, like when you first get up in the morning.
With this condition, you feel as if you’re walking on a hard pebble or like there’s a bump on your foot, but it’s actually the result of tissue thickening, most often between your third and fourth toes. As nerve tissue becomes inflamed, you feel tingling and burning on the ball of your foot, sensitivity and pain, numbness, and toe separation.
You’re more at risk for neuroma if you wear tight shoes or are a fan of sky-high heels. Participating in sports like running or standing on your feet most of the day can also increase the likelihood you’ll develop a neuroma.
Your Achilles tendon is the band of connective tissue that unites your calf muscle and heel bone. When it becomes inflamed — typically stemming from overuse — you experience pain that can be particularly uncomfortable near the back portion of your heel, persistent achiness, and stiffness when you haven’t been active in a while.
You might even have trouble putting your full weight on your affected foot, and failing to seek treatment can lead to not only worsening symptoms but also an Achilles tendon rupture that may require surgery.
In addition to the conditions we listed here, EPAT therapy is effective for a variety of sports injuries.
The things about EPAT treatment that our patients love most are that it’s noninvasive, comfortable, and quick!
When you’re treated with EPAT, your Premier Foot & Ankle provider applies cool coupling gel to your targeted treatment area, so it’s more receptive to the highly targeted sound waves delivered via the special applicator. The short, five-minute treatment is so transformative you’ll leave our office being able to put weight on your affected foot, and there’s no downtime!
Both of your feet can be treated with EPAT simultaneously, if necessary. All in all, it’s a total win.
Since EPAT therapy is completely noninvasive, you don’t have to dread a long recovery period or wonder if you’ll get relief after all is said and done. You’ll be amazed at how your body responds to treatment.
It’s time to learn more about EPAT therapy and feel great again by calling Premier Foot & Ankle. We have five convenient Texas locations to serve you. Call today or book an appointment online anytime.
