Heel Pain

New Treatment for Heel Pain and Spurs Speeds Recovery

ENDOSCOPIC PLANTAR FASCIA RELEASE - EPF

Maria thought she would just put up with the pain in her heel until it went away. It had begun as a brief pain when she first got up in the morning... a sensation that rendered her of stepping down on a rock... that went away after taking a few steps. She saw her doctor when the pain worsened until it sometimes hurt even if she were not on her feet at all. Anti-inflammatory medications, orthodics and a cortisone injection brought no long-term relief from the pain of her heel spurs. Surgery, she was told, was her next option. But Maria could not afford to be out of work for the six to eight weeks it would take to rehabilitate after surgery.

Fortunately, a new surgical procedure using an endoscope allows most patients to return more quickly to normal activities after treatment of heel spurs. "The endoscopic procedures allows us to see the area of inflammation and treat it without the large incisions required by conventional, open surgery," says John A. Volpe, DPM, a podiatrist who has trained inthe endoscopic procedure. "Most of my patients have been able to wear their regular shoes within seven days, and were able to return to normal activities within three to five weeks."

Dr. Volpe reports thats endoscopic surgery for heel pain provides the same level of long-term succes as the older pcedure. "The most significant difference is in how quickly men and women are able to get back to their customary routines." Additionally, patients do not necessarily have to have a heel spur to benefit from this procedure.

Surgery for heel pain is usually recommended onl after conservative measures have been tried. Dr. Volpe, who is a Diplomat of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons,reports that conservativ treatment is successful 80% of the time and usually is all that is necessary for most patients.

OSSATRON - EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCK WAVE (ESW)

What is ESW treatment?

"Extracorporeal" means "outside the body." Shock waves are created by very strong acoustic (sound) energy. The ESW treatment is performed with a device called the OssaTron. The OssaTron is a shock wave generator very similar to the shock wave devices used to treat kidney stones without surgery. The shock waves are ceated by a spark plug that is enclosed in a soft plastic dome filled with water. During ESW treatment, this dome is placed close against the heel so that the shock waves pass through the dome to the heel. ESW treatment has recently been found to be effective for treatng chronic proximal plantar fasciitis, a condition that causes pain in the heel of the affected foot and is sometimes called "heel spurs".