Pain is one of the biggest things that can bring a person down. There is nothing worse than having an ache that won’t go away, or being in pain to the extent that your everyday life is interrupted. On top of this, over the counter pain relief methods don’t always work to the extent needed, and can often have nasty side effects.

In today’s modern era, people are looking more and more for ways to relieve pain without taking painkillers. Anti inflammatory painkillers, sometimes called NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are available in over 20 types. They work by reducing the number of prostaglandins that the body created (these cause inflammation and therefore pain when an area of the body is already under strain).

NSAIDs are mainly used for conditions such as arthritis, period pain, headaches and ligament pains. The most commonly known of these are aspirin and ibuprofen. However, anti inflammatory painkillers do come with a list of common side effects, which may get worse the more the drug is used.

These can include nausea, diarrhea, depression and drowsiness. There are more severe side effects also, such as bleeding into the stomach and gut, tinnitus and breathlessness, although these are not as common. Also, people can become immune to the good effects of a painkiller over time, thus lessening the pain relief effect it has on the body.

Due to this list of side effects, which is not a complete list, people are looking for alternative methods of pain relief. One method that is becoming increasingly popular is that of using pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF). This works by delivering energy fields to agitate injured or inflamed cells in the body, thus improving their activity, circulation and lymphatic movements. This in turn then relieves pain and discomfort. PEMF does not block pain signals to the brain; it instead works with the body’s natural bio electromagnetic ecosystem to deliver pain relief.

An example of a product that delivers this method of pain relief is the PainWave X4000. It can be used to treat a wide variety of conditions, including muscle pain, heel pain, arthritis, backache, headache and gout. As it is a natural method of relieving pain, there are no side effects and it is the only treatment that is not held back by plaster casts, clothing and/or dressings. It is light and compact, and can be easily carried around in a handbag or suitcase.

People who have suffered or currently suffer with conditions that cause chronic pain will no doubt testify to the effects that this experience has on their well being. When one’s life is held back due to pain that does not seem to be easily treated, or where the treatment appears to do more harm than good, it can be felt that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. However, with products such as the PainWave X4000 on the market, it may be that chronic pain sufferers will have another option to try that will improve their quality of life.

PainFree Healthcare Limited is a family run business and the only online store dedicated exclusively to the sale and distribution of PainWave™ products.To explore our range of severe muscle spasms solutions further, please visit our website at http://www.painfreehealthcare.co.uk.

Here is a recent article that I came across which discusses the use of Shock Wave Therapy for plantar fasciitis treatment. This therapy is a non-invasive alternative to surgery and seems to have great success.

Suffering for months with Plantar Fasciitis, Eli Manning, one of the NFL’s star quarterbacks, continues to struggle with the intense pain as a result of Plantar Fasciitis (PF). According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons almost one of every six Americans (51 million) suffers from this injury commonly known as ‘Heel Spur Syndrome’ or heel spurs.

“Week-end sports warriors that continually use their injured foot can rupture the foot ligament and could eventually lead to permanent disability,” warns Dr. David Zuckerman, the country’s foremost medical expert on treating Plantar Fasciitis with Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy. “If Eli Manning continues to wear cowboy boots as a treatment for Plantar Fasciitis in his present condition, it could cause his Achilles tendons to shorten permanently, thus causing other pain and disabilities.”

Foot and ankle medical specialists traditionally treated this painful ailment with physical therapy, especially stretching exercises, immobilization devices, drug treatments and, if all else failed, surgery. In the early ’90s, Dr. Zuckerman sought to change all that. A leading heel pain specialist in minimally invasive surgery, he began to experiment with Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT), slowly replacing traditional heel surgery in chronic cases of Plantar Fasciitis, with amazing results.

He wanted to eliminate the pain associated with Plantar Fasciitis and even minimal invasive surgery. Passionate about ESWT, he discovered that this procedure’s application, in over 90% of all cases, reduced or eliminated foot pain. These statistics were confirmed in later years by FDA studies. His pioneering work soon attracted the attention of major hospitals, clinics and the medical community.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) is an 18-minute non-surgical procedure used to cure chronic Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, tennis elbow, shoulder tendonitis and other tendinopathies. It forces the body to create new cells in damaged areas without surgery.

In 2001, Dr. Zuckerman along with Denise Ashcraft, founded Excellence Shock Wave Therapy, a training and equipment provider, based in Woodstown, N.J. To date, they have trained over 500 physicians and surgeons affiliated with major hospitals and medical clinics based in the Northeastern part of the U.S. including Dr. Steven Sheskier, orthopedic surgeon, foot and ankle consultant to the NY Rangers, and Dr. Lee Cohen, podiatric consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dr. Sheskier points out, “ESWT is a viable medical treatment alternative because there is no downtime to treatment as opposed to surgery that can take months for recovery. It is a highly effective treatment for professional sports figures.”

In a recent telephone interview, Dr. Cohen stated, “We have found ESWT to be a successful treatment for our athletes who have suffered from chronic Plantar Fasciitis.” To date, over 10,000 patients have successfully been treated by Excellence Shock Wave Therapy.

An avid jogger for almost 20 years, Dan Cunning suddenly experienced severe pain on his left foot. It was September 2008. “The pain got progressively worse,” said the 36-year old N.J. State trooper and resident of New Jersey’s Woolwich Township. He risked losing his job which required an annual physical training exam.

“I heard about Dr. Zuckerman’s work through my sister-in-law,” stated Trooper Cunning, who sought his medical help. “After my first and only ESWT treatment that took place in his office, there was immediate pain relief.” After 6 months, Dan was pain free and to this day still jogs without any painful effects.

Dr. Zuckerman recommends that everyone should wear good shoes that cushion the heel, have a stiff arch and allow flexion at the ball of the foot. He also emphasizes stretching exercises. He cautions that standing or bending on your toes or up on your heel for long period of time can cause Plantar Fasciitis. He urges treadmill users to cross train with other aerobic exercises to help prevent this painful condition. He warns, “If you suspect you have Plantar Fasciitis, you should see a podiatrist right away. This is not a condition to ‘work through’ the pain.”

Practicing medicine for over 29 years, Dr. Zuckerman is recognized as one of the pioneers and the foremost expert in ESWT in the United States. He developed the Achilles tendon protocol for the Dornier Epos Ultra. Patients from around the world, with long term heel pain, come to receive Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy from him. He also lectures to the medical communities around the country and in France about his medical discoveries. He has appeared on WABC TV New York, FOX’s Channel 17 and NBC’s channel 10 in Philadelphia and was featured in many articles including DEUCE Magazine.

Dr. Zuckerman, an expert on Plantar Fasciitis, is available for TV, Radio and print interviews.

Read our other posts on plantar fasciitis treatments and stretching exercises.