Joakim Noah: Could The Chicago Bulls' Center Use Shockwave Therapy?

Chicago Bulls’ Center Joakim Noah has been ruled out "indefinitely" with plantar fasciitis , an injury that is causing a major headache to the Bulls’ medical staff.

Plantar fasciitis is a condition that occurs when the ligament that attaches from your toes to your heel foot becomes over-stretched and results in small tears. In extreme conditions, the ligament can tear completely.

The injury is relatively common in sports which include regular jumping and makes it extremely painful to walk. Fellow sufferers have included Kobe Bryant, Tony Parker, Toni Kukoc, Andres Nocioni, Taj Gibson, the White Sox’s Carlos Quentin, and current Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro.

Noah’s short-term future is in some doubt, with doctors divided over whether he should continue to play with the injury or rest until the pain subsides. But some podiatrists are suggesting shockwave therapy, a treatment that has unknown effectiveness.

Shockwave therapy is essentially a small, controlled explosion which creates a sonic pulse. These pulses have a small amount of force and can be directed into the body for different medical purposes.

The treatment was originally used for kidney stones, where the shockwaves could break up the stones and allow them to pass more easily. However, since the 1990s, they have been increasingly used in tendon injuries, but scientists don’t know really know why or how it works.

The current "best guess" is that the shockwaves cause "micro trauma" (tiny tears) in the ligament, which then become inflamed. This allows the body to send healing cells and increase the blood flow to the injured site.

Despite this being an option for Noah, the Bulls doctors are yet to confirm to Half Volley whether this is an avenue they are likely to pursue. They have, however, already tried platelet-rich plasma therapy, where they take blood from the shoulder and inject it into the foot in an attempt to speed healing.

It seems that the Bulls are running out of options, and with the playoff season fast approaching, it seems that shockwave therapy could be tried sooner rather than later.

This article was written by Jon Naylor for Half Volley , the half sport, half-science website.