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Home What We Treat Foot and ankle Pain Plantar Fasciopathy

Heel Pain

About Heel Pain

Your ankle-heel-foot complex plays a critical role in everyday movement, and heel pain can really slow you down. Because of the complexity of the foot and ankle and the huge force loads they manage, heel pain can have multiple causes, and plantar fasciitis misdiagnosis can prolong your pain while draining your bank account. At NYDNRehab, we leverage technology to ensure accurate diagnosis and provide fast-acting treatment that gets you back on your feet in record time.
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We’re located on 25th street in Manhattan NYC.
Open Monday-Friday, 10am-8pm.

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What are the credentials of NYDNRehab's medical team? How is heel pain diagnosed at NYDNRehab? What different types of heel pain are treated at NYDNRehab? What sets NYDNRehab apart from other physical rehabilitation clinics in NYC? What types of heel pain therapies are available at NYDNRehab? Heel pain FAQs
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Dr. Lev Kalika

Clinical director & DC RMSK

About Heel Pain and Functional Podiatry Specialist Dr. Lev Kalika

Dr. Kalika, clinical director of NYDNRehab, has dedicated his life’s work to revolutionizing the way pain syndromes and movement disorders are diagnosed and treated. He was among the first in his field to embrace technology as a game-changer for patient diagnosis and treatment. The NYDNRehab clinic is one of the best-equipped physical therapy clinics in the world.

Dr. Kalika is an expert in functional podiatry, a holistic approach to foot health that does not involve steroid injections or surgery. His approach entails advanced diagnostics, including:

  • High resolution ultrasonography
  • Weight-bearing x-ray
  • Foot pressure analysis

Our holistic treatment approach focuses on foot functionality and its impact on the entire lower kinetic chain. We combine the most advanced regenerative treatment methods with sophisticated foot and ankle physical therapy to restore pain-free functional mobility.

For injection and regenerative therapies, Dr. Kalika teams up with Dr. Uri Brozgol, a neurologist with 20+ years of experience in treating pediatric and adult myofascial pain. Dr. Brozgol is an expert in orthobiologic injection procedures and fascial release techniques.

Dr. Kalika is certified in biomechanics and gait analysis, and is an expert in diagnostic ultrasonography. He has over 20 years of experience in successful treatment of foot and ankle conditions, and has published multiple research papers on the use of ultrasonography, dry needling and shockwave therapy for treating a variety of conditions.

Dr. Kalika’s successful track record in rehabilitating musculoskeletal injuries combined with Dr. Brozgol’s expertise in treating myofascial pain makes NYDNRehab the clinic of choice for heel pain in NYC.

Kalika, Lev, and Rostyslav Bubnov. “Targeted Ultrasound-Guided Shockwave Therapy of Low Back Pain Using Focused, Defocused and Radial Shockwave” Neuromodulation 25.7 (2022): S339. Link to article

Bubnov, R., and L. Kalika. “Comparative Study of Dry Needling under Ultrasound Guidance and Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for Myofascial Pain and Spasticity Management.” Movement Disorders 34 (2019). Link to abstract

Click here to explore Dr. Kalika's research on the use of ultrasound guided shockwave therapy…
Dr. Yuri Brosgol

Orthobiologic specialist

About Orthobiologic and Injection Specialist Dr. Yuri Brosgol

Our orthobiologic specialist, Dr. Yuri Brosgol, is a neurologist with 20+ years of experience in treating pediatric and adult myofascial pain. He teams up with Dr. Kalika to provide precision orthobiologic and injection procedures guided by ultrasound imaging. Their combined expertise ensures that patients receive the most precise and effective treatment for a broad range of musculoskeletal conditions.

Get the Best Heel Pain Treatment in NYC

New Yorkers are constantly on the go, often walking for blocks on end as a routine part of daily life. But walking on concrete, especially in shoes that do not provide adequate support or shock absorption, can put you at risk for foot and heel pain. Traditional physical therapy clinics often make heel pain diagnoses based on symptoms alone, resulting in frequent plantar fasciitis misdiagnosis that delays the healing process and prolongs pain.

At NYDNRehab, we use the highest resolution diagnostic ultrasound to pinpoint the exact cause of your heel pain in real time, without having to wait for results from X-ray or MRI. Rapid and accurate diagnosis means we can get right to work with a personalized treatment plan designed just for you. Our advanced treatment technologies enable us to accelerate the healing process without drugs or surgery, to get you back to doing the things you love in the shortest time possible.

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We never use a one-size-fits-all approach to patient care. Your treatment plan is based on your condition’s unique characteristics and your individual needs. Our experienced professionals work with you one-on-one, to ensure that you receive the very best care for resolving your heel pain.

Symptoms and Causes of Heel Pain

Symptoms

  • Sharp pain at the back of the heel
  • Pain that radiates from the heel to the bottom of the foot
  • Pain that extends from the heel to the ankle and calf
  • Dull consistent pain that increases with load bearing activity
  • Pain that worsens in the morning
  • Pain at the outer or inner edge of the heel
  • Pain that intensifies after physical activity

Causes

  • Repetitive overuse during sports or exercise
  • Long hours spent walking or standing on concrete
  • Wearing shoes with too little support or shock absorption
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Faulty gait mechanics when walking or running
  • Chronic inflammation
  • Osteoarthritis

Why Accurate Diagnosis of Heel Pain is Critical

Because your heel is part of a complex system of muscles, nerves, bones and connective tissues, there can be multiple underlying causes of heel pain. Many clinics take a hit-or-miss approach to diagnosis, beginning with the most common condition and re-evaluating when you don’t respond to treatment. Without the benefits of ultrasound imaging, heel pain diagnosis becomes a guessing game that wastes the patient’s time and money, while prolonging your pain and disability.

At NYDNRehab we use high-resolution diagnostic ultrasonography to dynamically visualize the structures of your foot-heel-ankle complex in real time. Clear images of the foot and ankle in motion enable us to identify the exact cause and extent of your heel pain, so we can quickly initiate effective treatment.

Types of Heel Pain

Many podiatrists and physical therapists are quick to diagnose heel pain as plantar fasciitis, the most common type of heel pain. But plantar fasciitis misdiagnosis can result in weeks or months of unnecessary pain and disability, not to mention expensive treatments and procedures that eat up your time and drain your bank account.

Heel pain can stem from a variety of conditions, including:

  • Plantar fasciitis, where the heel and foot arch become injured and inflamed
  • Achilles tendonitis/tendonosis, where the Achilles tendon is injured, and pain radiates to the heel
  • Bone spurs, where calcium deposits on the heel bone irritate surrounding soft tissues
  • Sever’s disease, a rare condition affecting children aged 8-14 years
  • Bursitis, an inflammation of the bursa pad that provides a cushion between soft tissues and rigid structures
  • Stress fractures of the calcaneus (heel bone)
  • Inflammation of tendons in the foot, heel or ankle
  • Trigger points at the muscle-tendon junction that cause pain and dysfunction
  • Heel fat pad syndrome, marked by changes in the elasticity or thickness of the heel fat pad
  • Tarsal tunnel syndrome
  • Baxter’s neuropathy, where the first branch of the lateral plantar nerve becomes pinched between two inner foot muscles

With such a diverse range of potential conditions, a quick and accurate diagnosis that does not involve guesswork or rely on symptoms-based decision-making can mean the difference between rapid healing and pain relief, or months of prolonged pain.

Heel Pain Treatment Options

There is a broad range of options for treating heel pain, with some being more effective than others. Run-of-the-mill physical therapy clinics often rely on orthotics and taping to facilitate healing. However, those methods have a poor track record of providing satisfactory results, and patients often resign themselves to living with a certain level of pain.

At NYDNRehab, our technological toolbox gives us a variety of treatment options that are clinically proven to speed healing and eliminate pain. Your treatment plan may include:

  • Ultrasound guided dry needling to eliminate myofascial trigger points
  • Corticosteroid injections to reduce pain and inflammation
  • 3D gait analysis and retraining, to correct faulty gait mechanics
  • Physical therapy to balance muscles and restore functional movement
  • Acupressure to deactivate pressure points for heel pain
  • Regenerative therapies to stimulate healing at the cellular level
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Regenerative Therapies for Rapid Relief
of Heel Pain

The human body has its own innate healing mechanisms driven by the immune system, but some tissues are more resistant to healing than others. Regenerative technologies help to jump-start the healing process by introducing and/or activating biological factors that stimulate and speed up healing.

Focused Shockwave Therapy

Focused Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT)

Focused ESWT is used as a regenerative treatment for damaged tendon, muscle and bone tissue. This technology produces high frequency sound waves to stimulate the body’s own reparative mechanisms. It is especially effective for chronic degenerative tendon disorders and myofascial pain syndrome.

Extracorporeal Magnetic Transduction Therapy (EMTT)

EMTT is a fairly new technology that transmits high energy magnetic pulses to targeted tissues. The magnetic waves synchronize with the body’s own magnetic fields, causing a disturbance that triggers a regenerative response. EMTT waves can penetrate deep tissues up to 18 cm beneath the skin’s surface, to target difficult-to-reach tendons, muscles, bones and nerves.

Extracorporeal Magnetic Transduction Therapy (EMTT)
Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology (EPAT)

Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology (EPAT)

EPAT, also known as radial shock wave therapy, uses acoustic pressure waves to enhance blood circulation to targeted tissues. This speeds up the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to damaged tissues and stimulates cellular metabolism, to accelerate the healing process.

High Energy Inductive Therapy (HEIT)

HEIT uses electromagnetic fields to penetrate cells, tissues, organs and bones, to reactivate the electrochemical function of cells and cell membranes. HEIT generates a magnetic field 600 times stronger than the field of a normal magnet, to stimulate healing of nerves, muscles and blood vessels.

High Energy Inductive Therapy (HEIT)

INDIBA CT9 Radiofrequency Device

Our INDIBA Tecar therapy machine converts electrical current into a stable radio frequency current of 448 kHz, designed to increase and stabilize the exchange of ions in damaged cells, evoking a regenerative response that accelerates healing. INDIBA can be used to successfully treat joint and muscle disorders, low-back pain, sports injuries, surgical incisions and various pain syndromes. Another therapeutic effect of INDIBA is extreme and prolonged cellular hyperthermia. Due to this effect, INDIBA therapy combined with manual therapy and soft tissue tissue manipulation enables instantaneous release to occur, significantly shortening the number and duration of physical therapy sessions. What is normally accomplished in two months of physical therapy can be accomplished in 3-4 sessions with INDIBA.
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Ultrasound Guided Heel Pain
Injection Therapies

Injection therapies use natural/neutral solutions that stimulate cellular repair by either nourishing or irritating the targeted cells. Guidance by ultrasound ensures that the injected substances hit their mark, for maximum effectiveness

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)

PRP therapy uses a sample of the patient’s own whole blood, which is spun in a centrifuge to extract a high concentration of platelets. When injected into damaged tissues, PRP initiates tissue repair by releasing biologically active factors such as growth factors, cytokines, lysosomes and adhesion proteins. The injected solution stimulates the synthesis of new connective tissues and blood vessels. PRP can help to jump-start healing in chronic injuries and accelerate repair in acute injuries.

Proliferation Therapy, aka Prolotherapy

Prolotherapy uses a biologically neutral solution, often containing dextrose, saline or lidocaine. The solution irritates the affected connective tissue, stimulating the body’s own natural healing mechanisms to encourage growth of new normal ligament or tendon fibers.

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Get Personalized Heel Pain Treatment that
Really Works!

Heel pain can be debilitating, keeping you from maintaining your normal daily activities and reducing your overall quality of life. Heel pain in runners or heel pain in athletes should never be ignored. Failure to seek early treatment can cause your heel pain to degenerate into a more serious injury.

Accurate diagnosis is key to fast and effective heel pain treatment. Don’t waste your time and money on hit-or-miss approaches to heel pain diagnosis. The specialists at NYDNRehab are committed to helping our patients restore pain-free function as quickly as possible, using the most advanced technologies available. Contact us today, and jump-start the healing process so you can get back to doing the things you love.

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    Heel Pain FAQs

    What are the most common causes of heel pain?
    Common causes of heel pain include:
    • Plantar fasciitis
    • Heel spurs
    • Achilles tendinopathy
    • Stress fractures
    • Tarsal tunnel syndrome
    • Arthritis
    • Poorly fitting footwear
    How can I tell if my heel pain is caused by plantar fasciitis?
    Plantar fasciitis is characterized by sharp or stabbing pain, especially with your first steps in the morning. Pain typically eases up after walking a bit, but worsens after long periods of standing or physical activity. Pain is located directly under the heel or slightly toward the arch.
    When should I see a doctor for heel pain?
    You should seek medical advice if your pain is sudden or severe, or if you cannot bear weight on your heel. Seek treatment if there is any redness, swelling, or signs of infection, or if pain persists for more than a week or so. Pain persists for weeks despite rest and home care.
    Will my heel pain go away on its own?
    In many instances, heel pain will self-resolve over time, However, chronic or severe cases may need professional help to accelerate healing and ensure that all causes of your heel pain are addressed. If you are athletic or physically active, regenerative therapies can dramatically speed up healing so you can return to your active lifestyle.
    Can heel pain be a sign of something serious?
    Heel pain could signal fractures, infections, or systemic issues like gout or neuropathy. To ensure that your condition doesn’t become more serious, it’s best to get it checked out early on.

    Certificates and Continuing Education

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    Physical therapy and rehab can be time consuming,
    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.

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    Below is a prime example of how ultrasound can take the guesswork out of diagnosis.

    Learn more »
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    Accurate Diagnosis Is the ONLY way to
    Successful Treatment
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    A bad physical therapy experience is one of the primary causes of unnecessary surgery

    At NYDNR, we believe in
    medical innovation

    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.

    • С.A.R.E.N.
    • Kineo
    • Proteus shoulder arm recovery
    • Zebris
    • Manuthera 242
    • ESWT
    • Vertimax
    • Ankle Stabilizing Device
    • Blood Flow Restriction
    С.A.R.E.N. С.A.R.E.N. Kineo Kineo
    Proteus shoulder atm recovery Proteus shoulder atm recovery Zebris Zebris
    Manuthera 242 Manuthera 242 ESWT ESWT
    Vertimax Vertimax Ankle Stabilizing Device Ankle Stabilizing Device Blood Flow Restriction Blood Flow Restriction Training
    • Aplio i800
    • Vibration Platform
    • Sensa mat
    • Force Plate
    • Fascial Gun
    • ShooTools Slider
    • Redcord
    • Cryo Therapy
    • Skier's Edge
    Aplio i800 Aplio i800 Vibration Platform Vibration Platform Sensa mat Sensa mat
    Force Plate Force Plate Fascial Gun Fascial Gun ShooTools Slider ShooTools Slider
    Redcord Redcord Cryo Therapy Cryo Therapy Skier's Edge Skier's Edge

    Most importantly,

    we are the only facility in the US

    where structural medical diagnosis is reflected in functional treatment, and vice versa.

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    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)

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    Complete tear of rectus femoris
    with large hematoma (blood)

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    Separation of muscle ends due to tear elicited
    on dynamic sonography examination

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