“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! With such friendly staff and welcoming office environment, it makes for an amazing experience. I'll definitely continue seeing him!”
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
Medically reviewed by Dr. Justin Bergin, DC Updated September 18, 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, and the correction changes what you do about it.
What worn tissue needs is load it can tolerate, applied deliberately rather than avoided.
The morning pain is not a mystery either. It has a specific explanation, and it is the measurement worth tracking week to week.
How it works
The overnight shortening
Overnight the foot sits pointed and the fascia shortens. The first weight-bearing steps stretch it abruptly, which is the stabbing pain you feel.
The calf pull
Almost always there is a calf component. A tight calf and Achilles pull the heel upward and transfer load onto the fascia.
Loading rather than rest
Degenerative tissue responds better to controlled loading than to rest alone. That is why the plan builds tolerance instead of avoiding the foot.
Does the first step out of bed feel like a nail?
Nobody forgets the first morning it happens. You put a foot down expecting a floor and get a nail instead.
After a hundred steps it fades enough that you decide it is nothing. Six weeks later it is still there.
Have you started planning the day around how far you walk?
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 stubborn complaints in this part of Florida. Tile floors and flat sandals give the foot almost nothing to work with.
Is stubborn heel pain still treatable?
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 recognize 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 sneakers and long stretches barefoot on tile leave the arch unsupported. In a climate where flip-flops are a default, this is the most common 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 where it attaches to the heel. The aim is 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.
Omniwave acoustic wave therapy for a stubborn heel attachment
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.
Available at our 2 locations
Treatment at our Lakeland office, and also at:
What recovery usually looks like
Examination and load history Your first two visits
We press on the attachment, measure ankle range and calf length, and watch how you walk. We also take a history of what changed before the pain started.
Taking the load off The opening weeks
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 option for stubborn morning pain.
Give all of that six to eight weeks before deciding it has failed.
A few things mean seeing someone sooner. Get seen that week if the heel pain started suddenly with a pop.
Redness, warmth, swelling or a fever in the heel needs looking at too, as does numbness and tingling rather than pain.
Cost, insurance and financing
Cost depends on how stubborn the heel is and whether the Omniwave protocol is genuinely needed. 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 affects 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 program, whatever else you decide to take
Payment:
Omniwave shockwave therapy and cold laser are self-pay. Chiropractic and manual care bill insurance, and your benefits are verified before your first visit.
Medicare coverage varies by plan and by service, so ask the front desk to confirm.
Who you would be seeing
Who examines the foot, and what else gets looked at?
Dr. Justin Bergin, DC has 22 years in practice and treats heel pain as a loading problem rather than a heel problem.
The calf, the ankle and your walking pattern all get examined before anything is recommended.
What if you do not need a device protocol at all?
He is also clear that most plantar fasciitis settles with good self-care and time.
When that is the answer, he will say so 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
Why is heel pain so common in The Villages?
Heel pain is close to an occupational hazard in The Villages, where residents walk and play far more than most.
Pickleball courts, golf paths and tile floors combine badly for an unsupported arch.
Where is the Lady Lake office?
The Lady Lake office is on North US-441, just above CR 466.
Cart paths reach it from Spanish Springs, and patients drive in from Summerfield, Oxford, Wildwood and Leesburg.
Who drives in to the Lakeland office?
In Lakeland, patients come to the South Florida Avenue office from Highland City, Southgate, Lakeside Village and Christina.
Many are nurses, warehouse staff and retail workers who stand for a living.
Browse every condition on the conditions we treat index.
From the ChiroMed Journal
Longer reading on this subject, written by the practice rather than bought in.
- Why Heel Pain Hurts Most in the Morning, and What Helps
First-step heel pain has a mechanical explanation. Here is a practical morning routine, what to change during the day, and when self-care is not enough.
Plantar Fasciitis in recent research
These sources are independent of this practice and none of them endorses it. They are listed so the reasoning behind the care can be checked rather than taken on trust.
- Heel Pain - Plantar Fasciitis: Revision 2023
The clinical practice guideline for heel pain, which sets out which loading, stretching and manual approaches have evidence behind them and which do not.
- Plantar Fasciitis
A patient-level summary of why the fascia becomes painful and why most cases settle with load management rather than injection or surgery.
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.
| Option | What it is | Typically considered when | Invasive? | Offered at ChiroMed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omniwave shockwave with laser and manual work Our approach | Acoustic waves to the heel attachment, laser over the fascia, manual work through the calf | Pain has run for months and has not settled with self-care alone | No. Nothing injected, nothing cut | Yes, at both offices |
| Stretching, loading and footwear change | A structured home program of calf and fascia loading plus better shoes | Symptoms are recent. This is the right first move for almost everyone | No | Yes, and you leave the first visit with it whether or not you take anything else |
| Custom orthotics | Prescription inserts made to your foot to change how load is distributed | Foot structure is clearly driving the load, or off-the-shelf support has not been enough | No | Not made here. Appropriate where foot structure is the main driver, and a podiatrist is the right person |
| Corticosteroid injection | Steroid placed around the fascia attachment at the heel | Pain is severe and limiting while other treatment takes effect | Yes. Needle-based, and repeated injections carry a risk to the tissue | Not performed here. Appropriate when a physician judges short-term relief necessary, and usually limited in number |
| Plantar fascia release surgery | Partial surgical division of the fascia to reduce tension on the attachment | Everything conservative has genuinely failed over a long period | Yes. Surgery, with a recovery measured in months | 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. You get a referral rather than more treatment that has stopped working.
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.
-
01Evaluation
Orthopedic and neurological testing, with imaging on site where it changes the plan.
-
02Findings, in plain language
What the examination actually found, and honestly whether this is a case conservative care can help at all.
-
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.
-
Find out what is actually driving it before choosing a program.
“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. Thank You Dr. Bergin :)”
“Took a good amount of time going over my preliminary results and going over potential care plan. Great adjustment and doesn’t sugarcoat when discussing. Would recommend”
“The environment is incredible at this office with the staff and also both doctors are extremely friendly and great at what they do”
“Amazing, Super friendly and talented Staff and Doctors! My back was a hot mess after a semi hit my car on my first day moving to Florida. But after going through the treatment program I was able to get my neck, my back and my life in alignment. It was a total transformation. Thank You New City Chiropractic!”
“Hands down the best chiropractic office out there! They are super friendly and make me feel comfortable to tell then what’s wrong. They always ensure the best treatment for their patients!”
“I absolutely love this place , it is like going to visit family. They are always so pleasant , happy , and professional. I always enjoy seeing the ladies , they always put a smile on my face and even if I am having a bad day. The doctors are always so friendly and concerned with my well being. I actually look forward to going there and miss them on the days that I don't go.”
“I only wish it was closer. You are welcome it's definitely a compliment and I have read the great comments people made about the facility and staff! Amen Open one in Auburndale please!!”
“HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend coming here if you have any pains in your back or neck!! These guys are AMAZING at what they do!! Just a few months into coming here, I feel a change in the way I walk, the way my head sits on my shoulders, and I just feel GREAT; ALL THE TIME!! Crazy what some little adjustments did for me!!”
“This is an awesome chiropractic!! They are all nice and kind! Ever Since I have been adjusting my back, I don't need to take medicine before I go to bed. Also, I have been sleeping without waking up in the middle of the night because of the pain!! I really recommend the chiropractic 😊”
“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.”
“Love this place!! Cynthia and Angie are amazing! So nice and helpful!! The chiropractor’s are also amazing!! Just a great place overall! I highly recommended it!!”
“Look them up I waited so long to see a chiropractor and I found this place and am so happy that I did . Love the Drs they are so helpful and make feel like family.”
“The staff is super friendly and they walked me through the whole process. I’ve been going for a few weeks now and I’m already feeling results! The treatment the offer is very hands on and informative. I’ve never had manual adjustments until coming to this office and the staff makes you feel comfortable and takes care of your needs. Highly recommend !”
“The best Chiropractic center in South lakeland! love it here the Doctors are very urged to help with any of your needs, the beautiful assistants are nice and helpful they really make you feel welcomed. Most highly recommended Chiropractic Center. :)”
“Muy profesional la atención es formidable todos los empleados son muy amigables.Y muy efectiva sus terapias..Los recomiendo 100x100%”
“My pain has decreased dramatically, I’m no longer stretching and moving my neck in every angle trying to find relief. Every part of my body I can feel is finally getting closer to symmetry! All I can say is you should give new city a try!”
“I love this place!! They're very caring for their patients and strive to help you feel better. I strongly recommend giving them a try. I promise you won't regret it”
“The staff is very knowledgeable and organized, they get to know you and are flexible about fitting your treatment in to your life. They use proven methods to treat the root of your issues and the results are incredible. I was in a lot of pain after a car crash and within a few weeks I was able to go back to my normal routine with no discomfort.”
“I have seen and feel the change in my body since I started, I use to have major pain in my knees and neck ache. I'm an athlete and constantly need more adjustments, and every time I come I always without a doubt feel welcomed and important.”
Get in touch
Schedule your plantar fasciitis evaluation
Tell us what you are feeling and which office is closer. The front desk answers during office hours; leave a message after hours and they call back the next open day.
- 1
Send the form
Two minutes. Tell us what hurts and which office is closer.
- 2
We call you back
A real person, during office hours, 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.
What is the fastest way to settle plantar fasciitis?
There is no fast version, and anyone promising one is guessing.
The quickest route is dull: supportive shoes from the moment you stand up, daily calf and fascia loading, and cutting long standing into blocks.
Shockwave therapy comes in where the tissue has stopped responding on its own.
How 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.
Is 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. At that stage 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 program.
Do 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. A podiatrist is the right person to make them.
Will insurance pay for shockwave therapy?
Generally no. Shockwave therapy is self-pay here, and you are told that before anything is booked.
The chiropractic and manual part 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.
Same-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
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47