[NPInfo] Re: plantar faciitis conversations a few months ago

[GIN11153 at aol.com]

Don't remember who was talking about this so am posting this article for  all:
 
 
Sore Step Relief: New Treatments For Plantar Fasciitis
_http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/99966.php#ratethis_ 
(http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/99966.php#ratethis) 
 
 
The foot is the part of the body critical for maintaining function, balance  
and coordination while walking. However, thousands of Americans step out of 
bed  every morning with an excruciating throbbing sensation in the foot and 
heel,  affecting their quality of life. For many, plantar fasciitis has become a 
"real  pain."

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most frequently seen conditions by  foot and 
ankle orthopaedic surgeons. It is an overuse injury affecting a band of  
tissue (fasciia), which supports the arch and extends from the heel to the toes.  
Simply, it is a degenerative "wear and tear" of a tissue within the  foot.

"This is a very common problem in the adult population," said  Steven Ross, 
MD, clinical professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at  the 
University of California, Irvine, and president of the American Orthopaedic  Foot and 
Ankle Society (AOFAS). "This repetitive strain injury affects all walks  of 
life, people both very active and even sedentary, but may most frequently be  
seen in middle-aged, overweight women."

The problem with plantar  fasciitis is twofold:

-- Physicians cannot directly pinpoint what  triggers the pain in the first 
place.
-- Nor can they prescribe medication or  surgically go in and bring the 
fasciia "back to life" instantaneously.

"I  have seen patients ranging from marathon runners to those who sit behind 
a desk  for 12 hours a day," Dr. Ross added. "We know the cause of the pain 
may be  attributed to repetitive strain, but the threshold for symptoms is 
highly  variable. This occurs in patients with both high and low arches and is just 
not  a predictable ailment, and there are not many things people can do to 
prevent  it."

Patients living with plantar fasciitis have several options,  including but 
not limited to:

-- Non-operative treatment foot and toe  exercises, massage techniques, 
stretching, cortisone injections, etc.
--  Partial plantar fasciectomy a surgical procedure that takes the strain 
out of  the fasciia so that it heals but transfers the strain to other areas of 
the  foot.
-- Shockwave therapy machine-induced electrical therapy that stimulates  new 
tissue formation.
-- Gastrocnemius recession a more controversial, newer  procedure that 
correlates the pain in the plantar fasciia to tightness in the  calf. The surgery 
releases the calf tightness, aiming to decrease the strain in  the fasciia.

"Each treatment option has its pros and cons," Dr. Ross  noted. "But the fact 
is that this problem just heals itself with time, exercise  and patience. We 
live in a 'now' society, where people want the instant fix. In  the case of 
plantar fasciitis, that is just not the best option." According to  Dr. Ross, 
approximately 90 percent of plantar fasciitis patients get better with  
exercises or non-operative techniques over a nine-month span.

Dr. Ross,  along with Benedict DiGiovanni, MD, Troy Watson, MD, and John G. 
Anderson, MD,  will be discussing "Sore Step Relief: New Treatments for Plantar 
Fasciitis" at a  media briefing in the Moscone Convention Center to be held 
at the 75th Annual  Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 
(AAOS) in San Francisco  on Friday, March 7, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. This panel will 
tackle the different  options, myths and facts to help patients navigate 
through this ever so common  problem.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
6300 N. River  Rd.
Rosemont, IL 60018
United States
_http://www.aaos.org_ (http://www.aaos.org)    
____________________________________


Gail




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