HEEL PAIN
Podiatrists, Foot & Ankle Surgeons in Bridgewater, Denville, Hillsborough, Little Falls, Newton, Plainfield, Vernon, Roselle Park, Princeton & Fair Lawn, NJ
Heel Pain & Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar Fasciitis (heel pain / heel spur syndrome) Plantar fasciitis is caused by inflammation of the connective tissue that stretches from the base of the toes, across the arch of the foot, to the point at which it inserts into the heel bone. For the majority of heel pain cases, non operative care alleviates the condition. These non surgical therapies include: injections, stretching program, anti-inflammatory medications, night splints, orthotics, and physical therapy. If conservative care has failed, we offer two minimally invasive procedures for the condition with reliable results and immediate return to walking with sneakers
The Foot and Ankle Center of New Jersey uses the most modern approaches to alleviating heel, foot, leg & ankle pain
Radiofrequency Therapy
Supporting Earlier Intervention & Minimally Invasive Therapy For Chronic Heel Pain, Plantar Fasciitis and more
Radiofrequency Ablation Procedure is performed under intravenous sedation in the hospital or surgery center. The procedure uses radiofrequency energy to disrupt the pain signal from the inflamed ligament. There are no incisions, the procedure uses a very small needle (smaller than a pencil point) to treat the painful areas. The procedure takes approximately 3 minutes to perform and the relief is generally immediate. Most of our patients feel better in the first week, with full relief achieved in 4-6 weeks after the procedure. The patients may leave the hospital or surgery center 1-2 hours after the procedure with normal shoe gear. They may return to work the next day. Limited activity is advised (i.e. no sports) for 4 weeks.
Shock Wave Therapy
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) A Non-Invasive Treatment for Heel Pain, Plantar Fasciitis, Tendinitis an more.
Shock Wave Therapy is performed in our office under a local anesthetic only. No sedation is required. The procedure takes approximately 20-30 minutes per heel. There are no incisions. The ESWT procedure uses high powered sound waves to penetrate through the skin to the level of the chronically inflamed tissue. The sound pulses hit the ligament band hundreds of times which trigger the body's natural healing mechanism to repair the damaged ligament. The procedure is 87% effective in treating heel pain from plantar fasciitis / heel spur syndrome. The patients may return to work the next day. They are to limit any sport activities. They may wear regular shoes gear after the procedure. Complete relief may take up to several months as the ligament band heals.
Minimally Invasive Plantar Fasciotomy
Formal surgical release of the ligament band is only performed if all of the above treatments fail, which is uncommon. If formal surgical release is required, the procedure is performed in the hospital or surgery center under sedation and local anesthesia. The procedure is done through a small 1 cm incision under fluoroscopic guidance, the ligament band is released and if there is a spur it is removed through the same small incision. Post operatively the patients are placed in a walking boot for 3-4 weeks. Full recovery takes approximately 6-8 weeks.