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Foot Pain

Treatment Options for Heel Pain

Dr. Gary Prant, DPM Arbor Foot Health Center

Heel injuries are very common ailments that can cause excruciating pain. Some of the factors that can cause heel pain include improper footwear selection, sudden trauma (such as a fall), weight gain, running uphill or pushing a lawnmower and the repetitive stress of walking on concrete all day long. If heel pain is left untreated, the condition can worsen. Plantar Fasciitis and Achilles tendon injuries are two of the most common reasons for heel pain.

Dr. Gary Prant, DPM

The good news is that 95 percent of all heel pain can be treated with safe, non-surgical treatment options. The initial examination will provide a proper diagnosis for the cause of your heel pain and will determine the severity of your injury. X-Ray and ultrasound imaging technology can help identify bone spurs, ligament tears, neuromas, etc. This article discusses several conservative treatment options for helping patients recover from heel pain.

• Ice and Heat Therapy - Keep a water bottle in your freezer and roll it across the bottom of your foot. Icing helps reduce inflammation. Alternate with heat therapy, if prescribed.
   
• Padding and Strapping - Proper taping on the bottom of your feet can help relax the pressure on the ligaments that support your heel and arch.
   
• Stretching Exercises and Night Splints - Depending on the nature of your injury, the doctor may prescribe stretching exercises and therapeutic night splints while you sleep.
   
• Proper Footwear Selection - If a shoe can bend in the middle, it can cause stress on your plantar fascia. Choose only quality footwear that flexes at the toe joints with firm mid-foot support. Cushioning and impact reduction are also important. Orthotics can also play an invaluable role in relieving heel pain and properly aligning your feet.
   
• Anti-Inflammatory Drugs - such as ibuprofen can be an effective, conservative treatment to help reduce inflammation in the heel.
   
• Corticosteriod Injections - For severe heel pain that doesn't respond to conservative treatment therapies, a corticosteroid injection provides a powerful dose of anti-inflammatory medicine at the site of the injury.
   
• Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) - EWST is a non-surgical procedure that uses high pressure sound waves that temporarily injure the tissue surrounding the heel. As the tissue heals, new blood vessel growth is stimulated which promotes faster healing. It can take 3 - 12 weeks to see results using ESWT .
   
• Surgery - If a severe case of heel pain does not respond to the treatment options listed above, then your physician may recommend surgery to alleviate your pain.

Dr. Prant is Board Certified in Foot Surgery. For more information, contact the Arbor Foot Center at 335-1800 or visit www.arborfoot.com

Exercise & Fitness

Starting a 5K-10K Walking/Running Program

Paul Carrozza, CEO RunTex, Austin, TX

The following weekly program is is an excellent guide for walkers and runners preparing for 5K and 10K races. The program is developed by Coach Paul Carrozza, owner of RunTex. Please email paul@runtex.com with questions or comments.

Click Here for the program.

Medicine

Advancing Concepts in Osteoarthritis Management

The New Cutting Edge

Scott A. Smith, M.D. Texas Orthopedics, Sports & Rehabilitation Associates

Almost everyone who lives long enough will suffer from some form of osteoarthritis. This may be in the form of what is most commonly thought of as hip or knee problems; however, osteoarthritis frequently affects the joints of the hands, spine, shoulders, and, in fact, almost any joint.

Symptoms include joint pain or aching, often after excessive use but sometimes after limited use. There may also be joint stiffness, loss of motion and loss of strength. Osteoarthritis results from the loss of articular cartilage, or the slippery substance on the end of bones, resulting in bone against bone friction.

Click Here for the article, reprinted by permission by Texas Orthopedics

Back Pain

Don't Let Housework Be a Pain in Your Back

Brought to you by Garlett Chiropractic, Austin, TX

Household chores can be a pain in the sacroiliac. Unless you're careful, routine activities around the home— washing dishes, vacuuming, even talking on the phone— can strain your back, including the sacroiliac area near the tailbone, and result in debilitating discomfort.

But you can protect your back by knowing the right way to go about such activities, according to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).

Consider lifting. It doesn't matter whether you're picking up your child or a heavy bucket of water, you need to do it the proper way to avoid injury.

Click Here for the article.