Heel Pain
Heel pain is one of the most common reasons patients visit Kansas City Foot Specialists. Your heels may be hurting for a variety of reasons, including:
- Plantar fasciitis
- Achilles tendonitis
- Arthritis
- Flat footedness
- Calf tightening
- Weight gain
Treatments vary depending on the cause of your pain, but our doctors always look for the most conservative approach possible, so that you can alleviate your pain with minimally invasive treatment. Severe heel conditions may require surgery, which takes place at the state-of-the-art Surgery Center of Blue Valley.
Treating heel pain with Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT)
ESWT is a non-surgical alternative offered at Kansas City Foot Specialists for the treatment of chronic heel pain due to plantar fasciitis. In the past, if conservative therapy was not effective, surgery was the default treatment of choice.
While surgery is usually successful, it requires surgical anesthesia and time off work. In addition, surgery limits your mobility, involves a prolonged healing period, and can lead to complications, as with any surgery.
ESWT can be performed in the office without anesthesia over a series of three visits. The shockwave technology breaks up the scar tissue within the plantar fascial ligament and stimulates blood flow to improve the body’s healing. ESWT presents little discomfort and shorter recovery time for patients, and has a high success rate with results similar to those of surgery. The only limiting factor is that ESWT is not covered by most insurance providers.
Schedule an appointment to discuss your heel pain and treatment options.
Foot Trauma
In work or daily life, people often encounter accidents that can cause traumatic injuries to the feet and ankles. Dropping heavy items on your foot, rolling an ankle, or smacking your foot into a solid object can lead to a traumatic injury, such as:
- Sprains
- Fractures
- Stress fractures
- Contusions
Sprains, contusions (bone bruises), and mild fractures don’t require surgery and can be treated conservatively. Should you require surgery to treat your condition, the Surgery Center of Blue Valley is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that enables our staff to provide high-quality surgical services.