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Condition overview · Orthopedics

Plantar fasciitis & heel pain treatment in Boulder.

Here is what we treat in the heel and which therapies may apply. Each card below links to that therapy's full page. We see patients from Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and across the United States.

Plantar fasciitisInsertional Achilles tendinopathy

Therapies for this condition

EPAT, PRP, and prolotherapy for heel pain.

EPAT works through pressure waves, PRP through growth factors from your own platelets, and prolotherapy through a dextrose (sugar) solution placed where a tendon or ligament attaches to bone. We work out which fits you at your consultation.

01 · Non-invasive pressure-wave therapy

EPAT shockwave therapy

No needles · no anesthesia · 25–30 min

EPAT (extracorporeal pulse activation technology) uses a hand-held applicator that sends low-frequency waves through the skin to a painful tendon or to the place where a tendon attaches to bone. There are no needles and no anesthesia, and sessions happen weekly.

  • Best fit when
  • Long-standing heel and arch pain (plantar fasciitis)
  • Tendon or fascia pain that has lasted at least 6 weeks
  • Wanting a non-invasive option before considering injections
Read the full EPAT shockwave therapy page →

02 · Platelet-rich plasma

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)

Blood-derived · in-office

Concentrated platelets and growth factors from your own blood, prepared in our lab and delivered into the target tissue under ultrasound guidance. When tendon pain has not fully eased with EPAT alone, combining it with PRP is a common approach.

  • Best fit when
  • Chronic heel and arch pain after physical therapy and night splinting
Read the full Platelet-rich plasma page →

03 · Tendon & ligament attachment

Prolotherapy

Dextrose-based · aims to start a local repair response

Prolotherapy is an injection of a concentrated sugar solution (dextrose) into a strained ligament or tendon attachment, guided by imaging. It sets off a small, controlled inflammation that can prompt your body's own repair response.

  • Best fit when
  • Long-standing pain where tendons attach to bone, such as plantar fasciitis, when PRP isn't the right fit
Read the full Prolotherapy page →

Talking it through

Find out which option fits your heel pain.

These are the situations where these treatments most often come up for heel pain. Whether one fits you is something we work out together at your consultation. If another option makes more sense, we'll tell you.

What we look at together

  • Symptoms that continue despite physical therapy, night splinting, and changes in activity
  • MRI or ultrasound images of the foot, if you have them

Related conditions we treat.

All conditions →
Orthopedics

Tendon & ligament injuries

Platelet-rich plasma · Prolotherapy Orthopedics

Hip pain

Platelet-rich plasma · EPAT shockwave therapy Orthopedics

Knee pain & arthritis

Bone marrow aspirate concentrate · Platelet-rich plasma · PRP + Hyaluronic acid

Regulatory Disclaimer

Platelet-rich plasma is an autologous biologic product prepared from a patient's own blood. PRP has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of specific diseases or musculoskeletal conditions. Clinical use is based on physician judgment, current scientific evidence, and individualized patient evaluation. No claims are made regarding guaranteed outcomes, tissue regeneration, or disease modification.

Prolotherapy uses dextrose and saline, both of which are FDA-approved substances. However, prolotherapy itself is not FDA-approved as a specific treatment for musculoskeletal conditions. Its clinical use is based on physician judgment, available scientific evidence, and individualized patient evaluation.

No claims are made regarding guaranteed outcomes, permanent structural repair, or disease modification.