If you are a working person who is used to all-day standups or an athlete who takes heel pain routinely, you are probably very well aware of the huge distraction that heel pain can be. Standing, walking or prolonged running can end up becoming a real time health issue. Trauma to plantar fascia and the consequent inflammation in the connective tissue thick band that supports your foot arch are often the reasons leading to persisting foot aches.
Connecting the toes and the heel, plantar fascia lets you jump up and walk staircases, absorbing impact forces and shock along the way.
Repetitive use, overuse, continuous misco injuries caused to the fascia are the main causes for the excruciating pain concentrating at the base of the heel. Stiffness, aches and limited range of motion are a few outcomes of an inflamed and untreated connective tissue in your foot. Actually, the entire bottom of the foot can become affected by the inflammation. Consider reviewing the shoes you wear, especially its support levels and how worn out they are. If you load this very piece of tissue considerably several days in a row without letting it properly heal – it can easily lead to complications.
Other things that will promote PF inflammation are obesity, prolonged standing on hard, cold surfaces, stiff calcaneal tendons, unusually highly arched or flat feet.
Acute aching at the base of the heel is the primary and most obvious symptom for PF, which will get considerably worse if left unattended. One of the specifics about PF aches is it can appear suddenly and grow to burning debilitating pain rather fast. If the pain strikes your foot side or comes up intensely first thing in the morning after you get up and builds slowly but surely – get ready to visit a foot specialist. Plantar Fascia inflammation produces swelling and redness in the bottom of your foot up to the point where limping can occur.
An in-clinic physical examination is the first thing to go for when you are experiencing acute foot or heel pain. Expect some common questions being asked: your medical story, things that sprang your suspicions. The foot pain specialist will also palpate the foot to make sure that it is indeed plantar fascia that is bothering you and not something else. A patient is asked to compress his foot muscles to see the specific patterns of limitations to the range of motion. The joint and muscle strength will also be examined.
Other things a doctor may look into:
The peculiar condition assessment may include ultrasonography. This is done in order to exclude a bone fracture or other structural problem. Video gait analysis may be performed to identify mechanical deficiencies that contribute to plantar fasciitis.
Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis Treatment for plantar fasciitis is often multi-modal. Some clinicians may prescribe orthotics, steroid injections or even surgery. Those strategies are aimed at removing the problem without correcting the reason that stands behind the pain.
Long term strategies for plantar inflammation are:
ESWT. A modern approach to help your foot heal.
Medical care strategy for this diagnosis should be individualized, taking into consideration the anatomy of the bottom foot as well as performance needs.
Foot pain therapists at NYDNRehab, skilled, experienced PTs, that are highly trained to diagnose and treat plantar tissue conditions. The NYDNRehab team of specialists uses cutting edge technologies, innovative strategies to help our patients restore healthy function. At NYDNRehab, we do not just treat your symptoms, we identify why you are in pain and how to remove it.
Experiencing foot or heel pain? Call for a consultation today.
See for yourself why NYDNRehab offers the best PT in NYC.
The moment you feel the neck pain and experience its debilitating qualities – you wish to remove it once and for all. NSAIDs aid a temporary relief. Still, different medical strategies promise a permanent result. It is difficult to know the approach that fits you best. Try to compare the three
and a faulty diagnosis can make treatment a total waste of time.
Failure to accurately diagnose a condition in its early stages can lead
to chronic problems and sometimes devastating results.
Diagnostic musculoskeletal sonography (MSUS) provides the perfect tool for the rehab practitioner. Yet many doctors and physical therapists have no experience with MSUS, are unaware of its advantages, and have no idea how to use it as a diagnostic tool.
Below is a prime example of how ultrasound can take the guesswork out of diagnosis.Successful Treatment
A bad physical therapy experience is one of the primary causes of unnecessary surgery.
We have equipped our clinic with the latest research-grade technology to arrive at objective and accurate diagnoses, and to objectively measure our patients’ progress.
Most importantly, we are the only facility in the US where structural medical diagnosis is reflected in functional treatment, and vice versa.
In this instance, an athlete was originally diagnosed with minor quadriceps muscle strain and was treated for four weeks, with unsatisfactory results. When he came to our clinic, the muscle was not healing, and the patients’ muscle tissue had already begun to atrophy.
Upon examination using MSUS, we discovered that he had a full muscle thickness tear that had been overlooked by his previous provider. To mitigate damage and promote healing, surgery should have been performed immediately after the injury occurred. Because of misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment, the patient now has permanent damage that cannot be corrected.
The most important advantage of Ultrasound over MRI imaging is its ability to zero in on the symptomatic region and obtain imaging, with active participation and feedback from the patient. Using dynamic MSUS, we can see what happens when patients contract their muscles, something that cannot be done with MRI. From a diagnostic perspective, this interaction is invaluable.
Dynamic ultrasonography examination demonstrating
the full thickness tear and already occurring muscle atrophy
due to misdiagnosis and not referring the patient
to proper diagnostic workup
Demonstration of how very small muscle defect is made and revealed
to be a complete tear with muscle contraction
under diagnostic sonography (not possible with MRI)
Complete tear of rectus femoris
with large hematoma (blood)
Separation of muscle ends due to tear elicited
on dynamic sonography examination
