“Dr. Bergin at Chiromed Wellness Centers is the best chiropractor in town. I no longer have to take pain meds. If you still have pain, you’re not seeing to best chiropractor.”
Condition
Plantar Fasciitis treatment
in Lakeland and The Villages, FL
If the first few steps out of bed are the worst part of your day, this is almost certainly what you have. There is a great deal you can do about it, and most of it is not surgery.
- Omniwave shockwave on site
- 22 years in practice
- $47 new-patient exam
- 22 years in practice
- $47 new-patient exam
Medically reviewed by Dr. Justin Bergin, DC Updated September 14, 2026
Quick summary
Plantar fasciitis is irritation of the thick band of tissue running along the sole of the foot from the heel to the toes. The signature is stabbing heel pain on the first steps in the morning that eases as you move. ChiroMed treats it with Omniwave shockwave therapy, laser and manual work, without injections or surgery. The first visit is $47.
Understanding plantar fasciitis
The plantar fascia is a thick band of connective tissue running from the heel bone to the base of the toes. It supports the arch and stores energy with every step. When it is repeatedly overloaded, the tissue at its attachment to the heel becomes irritated and painful.
The name is slightly misleading. For years this was assumed to be inflammatory, and in long-standing cases it looks more like degenerative change in the tissue itself, which is why anti-inflammatories so often disappoint. Degenerative tissue responds better to controlled loading than to rest alone. The morning pain has a specific explanation: overnight the foot sits pointed and the fascia shortens, and the first weight-bearing steps stretch it abruptly. Almost always there is a calf component, since a tight calf and Achilles pull the heel upward and transfer load onto the fascia.
Nobody forgets the first morning it happens. You put a foot down expecting a floor and get a nail instead, and after a hundred steps it fades enough that you decide it is nothing. Six weeks later it is still there, it comes back every time you stand up from a chair, and you have begun planning your day around how much walking it involves. Heel pain is one of the most persistent complaints in this part of Florida, partly because tile floors and flat sandals give the foot almost nothing to work with. It is also treatable, provided somebody works out why your fascia is being overloaded. Dr. Justin Bergin, DC examines the foot, the calf and the way you actually walk.
Independent background: Heel Injuries and Disorders, MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
Symptoms
Most people recognise their own version somewhere in this list. Each one maps to a specific finding the examination checks for.
- Stabbing heel pain on the first steps in the morning
- Pain returning after sitting for a while
- Tenderness on the inside of the heel
- Aching along the arch of the foot
- Worse after long standing on hard floors
- Worse barefoot on tile
- A tight calf and Achilles first thing
- Limping for the first few minutes
- Pain that eases with movement then returns by evening
Common causes
A sudden increase in load
A new walking routine, a move to a job on your feet, a holiday with long days of sightseeing. The fascia adapts to gradual increases and objects to abrupt ones.
Calf and Achilles tightness
A tight calf limits how far the ankle bends, so the foot compensates by flattening and the fascia takes the strain. It is why calf work is part of the plan.
Unsupportive footwear
Flat sandals, worn-out trainers and long stretches barefoot on tile leave the arch unsupported. In a climate where flip-flops are a default, this is the commonest contributor we see.
Foot structure
A high rigid arch transmits more shock through the fascia, while a very flat foot lengthens it with every step. Both change what kind of support the foot needs.
A change in body weight
The fascia carries load with every step, so a meaningful weight change alters the demand on it. Raising it plainly is more useful than pretending otherwise.
How we treat plantar fasciitis in Lakeland and The Villages
Treatment targets the degenerated tissue at the heel and the calf tightness that keeps overloading it. Omniwave shockwave is the main tool for stubborn cases, with laser and manual work alongside it, and load management running through the whole plan.
Omniwave shockwave therapy for the heel attachment
Acoustic pressure waves delivered by the Omniwave unit into the fascia at its heel attachment, aimed at stimulating a repair response in tissue that has stopped healing on its own. It is the tool of choice for heel pain that has run for months.
Cold laser therapy over the fascia
Low-level light applied along the fascia and around the heel, supporting the tissue response between shockwave sessions. There is no heat and no restriction on walking afterwards.
Soft tissue therapy through the calf and sole
Manual work through the calf complex, the Achilles and the sole of the foot, addressing the tightness that keeps transferring load onto the heel. It is usually what stops the problem returning.
What recovery usually looks like
Examination and load history Your first two visits
Palpation of the attachment, ankle range, calf length testing and a look at how you walk, plus a history of what changed before the pain started.
Unloading and settling The opening block of care
Early work takes the daily insult off the tissue while treatment begins. The measure to watch is the first ten steps in the morning.
Rebuilding tolerance As the morning pain eases
Focus shifts to loading the fascia and calf deliberately so the tissue tolerates more. Avoidance alone produces a heel that flares the moment normal life resumes.
Return to full activity Once mornings are consistently comfortable
Walking distance, standing hours and sport are built back up in steps. Heel pain returns easily when activity jumps, so this phase is deliberately unhurried.
When to seek care sooner
This is a condition where home care genuinely earns its keep. Get supportive shoes on your feet indoors from the moment you get out of bed and stop walking barefoot on tile. Do calf raises daily, both straight-legged and with the knee bent, building to slow heavy repetitions. Stretch the fascia by pulling the toes back with the ankle flexed, several times a day and before your first steps. Roll the sole over a frozen water bottle in the evening. Cut long standing into blocks. A night splint holding the foot at ninety degrees is a reasonable general option for stubborn morning pain. Give all of that six to eight weeks before deciding it has failed. Get assessed promptly for heel pain that came on suddenly with a pop, numbness or tingling rather than pain, heel pain with redness, warmth, swelling or fever, or pain unchanged from morning to night.
Red-flag findings belong with a physician, promptly, and not with conservative care alone.
Cost, insurance and financing
Cost depends on how stubborn the presentation is and whether the Omniwave protocol is genuinely indicated, since a recent case often needs loading advice more than a device. Your first visit is $47, covering the consultation, examination, imaging where it changes the plan and the report of findings.
The one published price
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47
What moves the cost
- How long the heel pain has been present, which predicts what it takes to settle
- Whether the calf component needs significant manual work alongside the foot
- How many Omniwave sessions the presentation suggests
What a course includes
- Foot, ankle and calf examination, gait observation and the report of findings
- The home loading and footwear programme, whatever else you decide to take
Payment: The payment model here is mixed and written per service. Chiropractic and manual care bill insurance, with benefits verified before your first visit. Omniwave shockwave therapy and laser are cash pay, stated before anything is booked. Medicare coverage varies by plan and by service, so ask the front desk to confirm.
Who you would be seeing
Dr. Justin Bergin, DC has 22 years in practice and treats heel pain as a loading problem rather than a heel problem, which is why the calf, the ankle and your walking pattern all get examined before anything is recommended. He is also clear that most plantar fasciitis settles with good self-care and time, and he will tell you when that is the honest answer instead of starting a device protocol.
Dr. Justin Bergin, DC, 22 years in practice, performs the examination personally and explains the findings before any program starts. Lakeland: 6595 Florida Ave S, Suite 13, Lakeland. The Villages market office: 929 US-441 #404, Lady Lake. Both offices run the same program.
Getting to us
Heel pain is close to an occupational hazard in The Villages, where residents walk and play far more than the national average and where pickleball courts, golf paths and tile floors combine badly for an unsupported arch. The Lady Lake office is on North US-441 just above CR 466, reachable on the cart paths from Spanish Springs and by car from Summerfield, Oxford, Wildwood and Leesburg. In Lakeland, patients come to the South Florida Avenue office from Highland City, Southgate, Lakeside Village and Christina, many of them nurses, warehouse staff and retail workers who stand for a living.
Browse every condition on the conditions we treat index.
Options compared, honestly
This is treated very differently depending on who you walk in to see. Here is the full set, including the options this practice does not provide.
| Criteria | Our approachOmniwave shockwave with laser and manual work | Stretching, loading and footwear change | Custom orthotics | Corticosteroid injection | Plantar fascia release surgery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Acoustic waves to the heel attachment, laser over the fascia, manual work through the calf | A structured home programme of calf and fascia loading plus better shoes | Prescription inserts made to your foot to change how load is distributed | Steroid placed around the fascia attachment at the heel | Partial surgical division of the fascia to reduce tension on the attachment |
| Typically considered when | Pain has run for months and has not settled with self-care alone | Symptoms are recent. This is the right first move for almost everyone | Foot structure is clearly driving the load, or off-the-shelf support has not been enough | Pain is severe and limiting while other treatment takes effect | Everything conservative has genuinely failed over a long period |
| Invasive? | No. Nothing injected, nothing cut | No | No | Yes. Needle-based, and repeated injections carry a risk to the tissue | Yes. Surgery, with a recovery measured in months |
| Offered at ChiroMed? | Yes, at both offices | Yes, and you leave the first visit with it whether or not you take anything else | Not made here. Appropriate where foot structure is the main driver, and a podiatrist is the right person | Not performed here. Appropriate when a physician judges short-term relief necessary, and usually limited in number | Not performed here. Appropriate only after prolonged failure of conservative care, and that decision belongs with a foot and ankle surgeon |
Most heel pain settles without injections or surgery, given enough time and the right loading. Where it genuinely does not, those options exist for good reason, and we would rather refer you than keep treating something that has stopped responding.
What to expect
From evaluation to a plan for your plantar fasciitis
A course, not a single visit. The examination decides the length and the cost, and both are written down first.
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01Evaluation
Orthopedic and neurological testing, with imaging on site where it changes the plan.
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02Findings, in plain language
What the examination actually found, and honestly whether this is a case conservative care can help at all.
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03A written program
Which disciplines, how many visits, over what period, and what it costs. Decided before anything begins.
- 04
Reassessment as it runs
Function is re-measured through the course. If the response says the plan should change, it changes.
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Find out what is actually driving it before choosing a program.
“I have had sich a great experience seeing Dr. Bergin. When other offices have told me I just had muscle damage or the only thing they could do for me was give shots, he said he had others ways to manage my pain and numbness, along with improving mobility. And he was right! I feel so much better!”
“I have had pain in my right upper back quadrant by my shoulder blade for at least a year now and the doctors have been unsuccessful in making the pain go away. I came to Dr. Bergin looking for some help. Within 3 to 4 weeks. My pain in that area is completely gone.”
“Dr. Bergin is phenomenal. Chronic lower back issues led a different doctor to mention back surgery to me. That was not an option I wanted to entertain. After a consult with Dr. B, he was confident that he could help resolve my back issues. I’ve been seeing him weekly to resolve the issue, and I am so pleased with the results so far! More mobility, less pain, and a great customer experience.”
“I bless the day that Dr. Bergin started working on me. I have had long standing pain for so long. After just a few visits my pain left and I feel so good. He is very patient oriented and caring. I regard him highly.”
“Dr. Bergin was instrumental in relieving my back pain which I had for many years. The techniques he used on relieving my back pain were impressive. I been going to chiropractors for years and Dr. Bergin is the best.”
Get in touch
Schedule your plantar fasciitis evaluation
Tell us what you are feeling and which office is closer. A member of the ChiroMed team follows up within one business day.
- 1
Send the form
Two minutes. Tell us what hurts and which office is closer.
- 2
We call you back
A real person, within one business day, to find a time that works.
- 3
Exam and answers
History, orthopedic and neurological testing, imaging on site when it changes the plan.
- $47 consultation, exam, X-rays if needed and report of findings
- Payment plans available on the self-pay programs
- 4.8 out of 5 from 225 Google reviews
- Choose Lakeland or The Villages on the form
Plantar Fasciitis questions
Tap a message for the honest answer. Call Lakeland (863) 940-3444
Why does my heel hurt worst first thing in the morning?
Overnight the foot rests pointed and the fascia shortens and settles. Standing up stretches it abruptly, which reproduces the sharp pain and mildly re-irritates the tissue. The same thing happens after any long sit. It is also the most useful thing to track, since easing mornings mean the plan is working.
the clinic teamWhat is the fastest way to settle plantar fasciitis?
There is no fast version, and anyone promising one is guessing. The quickest route is usually unglamorous: supportive shoes from the moment you stand up, daily calf and fascia loading, cutting long standing into blocks, and shockwave therapy where the tissue has stopped responding on its own.
the clinic teamHow much does a session of shockwave therapy cost?
Pricing varies widely by clinic and by how many sessions a presentation needs, so a quoted figure without an examination is not worth much. The only price we publish is the $47 first visit. You get the full cost of any recommended protocol in writing at the report of findings, before anything is booked.
the clinic teamIs shockwave therapy worth the money?
It is worth it for heel pain that has run for months and has not responded to good self-care, where the alternative is an injection or eventually surgery. It is not worth it for a heel that started hurting three weeks ago and has never had decent shoes or a loading programme.
the clinic teamDo I need custom orthotics?
Most people do not. A supportive off-the-shelf shoe and a decent insert handle the majority of cases. Custom orthotics earn their place when foot structure is clearly the driver or when good off-the-shelf support has not been enough, and a podiatrist is the right person to make them.
the clinic teamWill insurance pay for shockwave therapy?
Generally no, which is why it sits on our cash-pay side and why we say so up front. The chiropractic and manual portion of a plan does bill insurance, and benefits are verified beforehand. Medicare coverage varies by plan and by service, so ask the front desk to check your policy.
the clinic teamSame-week appointments
Start with an examination, not a package.
Find out what is actually driving it before choosing a program.
- 4.8 out of 5 on Google
- $47 consultation, exam and report
- 22 years in practice
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47