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Posts for tag: Plantar Fascia

By drbhatia
July 05, 2011
Category: Foot Care

 

Tennis enthusiasts at the Wickertree Tennis Club and Raquet Club of Columbus, as well as fans around the world are currently enjoying one of the biggest tennis tournaments of the year, the Championships at Wimbledon.  It is always interesting to follow the previous year’s champions to see how they will do.  It is even more interesting when last year’s champion is Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who is widely recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. 

This past Monday, June 27 in the 4thround of Wimbledon, Nadal began having what appeared to be some very intense heel pain.    Nadal had trainers called onto the court twice to check where the pain was located around the back and sides of his heel.  Luckily, he was able to play through his pain to win and continue on to Friday’s match which he also won, beating out Andy Murray.  Although the injury has not yet been definitely diagnosed, Nadal is taking a risk to play out his last few games at Wimbledon before taking an already scheduled vacation. 

Heel pain can be debilitating to any athlete, especially for one playing at as a high level as Nadal.  The most common cause of heel pain on the bottom of the foot in athletes is called plantar fasciitis, or heel spur syndrome.  The plantar fascia is a thick connective tissue deep on the bottom, or plantar surface of the foot, that connects the heel bone, or calcaneus to the ball of the foot.  Plantar fasciitis occurs when the plantar fascia has too much tension put on it and begins to pull at its attachment point on the heel bone, causing pain.  Pain associated with plantar fasciitis is often worse in the morning, when the individual first steps out of bed.  Individuals who overpronate, or have flat feet are at a greater risk for plantar fasciitis because of the extra tension placed on the plantar fascia when the arch is flattened and elongated.  Ultrasound can be helpful in diagnosing plantar fasciitis versus other causes of plantar heel pain such as a loss of the fat pad under the heel or a nerve entrapment.  If the diagnosis is plantar fasciitis, it can often be treated non-surgically.  More conservative methods that may be used include icing, rest, custom orthotics to relieve plantar fascia tension cause by overpronation, night splints and stretching.  If pain persists, many cases have been successfully treated by similarly non-invasive extracorporeal shock wave therapy. 

Although Nadal will have to work through his pain at Wimbledon, at least his injury at this point is not severe enough to force him to drop out altogether.  The promise of long break to rest your feet and get the best treatment and relief from pain in the near future can be a great motivator for anyone to make it through a tough time!

Please visit www.columbusfoot.com for more information or call 614-885 FEET (3338) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio in Worthington, Ohio.

By Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia

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By drbhatia
March 27, 2011
Category: Foot Care

Plantar Fasciitis Scott Podsednik's foot

 

Everyone in the Columbus area’s brackets were busted Friday night after the Buckeye’s surprising loss to Kentucky. It is tough to continue watching the March Madness tournament once your local favorite has been knocked out! Luckily, with opening day right around the corner, the Major League Baseball season offers a new distraction in the world of sports.

Stories of what player has what injury becomes top news for fans involved in making a fantasy baseball team.  One player who has made a lot of news for a very common foot problem lately is Scott Podsednik.  Scott is a veteran outfielder who has played for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago White Sox and is now attempting to make the roster for the Toronto Blue Jays this season.  However, Scott has been suffering from chronic pain heel pain in his left foot and was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis.  Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation at the attachment of a portion of the plantar aponeurosis, or plantar fascia, which is a deep connective tissue that is stretched across the bottom of the foot.  The portion that often becomes inflamed attaches to the middle part of the calcaneus, or heel bone.  Pain on the bottom of the heel is the main feature of this condition and the intensity of pain can vary from person to person.  Plantar fasciitis can affect anyone, but is more common in obese individuals, people who are on their feet a majority of the day, & those with limited ankle flexion.  As an outfielder, Scott is certainly on his feet for his job and his planter fasciitis has recently become so painful that it will likely cost him his position on the Blue Jays. 

A variety of treatments exist for lessening the pain of plantar fasciitis.  Conservative or minimal treatments including icing the heel, taking anti-inflammatory medications and stretching the plantar aponeurosis are good starting points to relieve pain.  If these treatments do not put an end to your heel pain, it is important to visit your podiatrist to correctly diagnose the cause of your pain.  Other than plantar fasciitis, heel pain can be caused by fractures, infections, nerve entrapments and a variety of other problems.  If the diagnosis is plantar fascitis, then orthotics or custom night-splints could be issued as the next step in treatment.  Physical therapy may also be recommended as part of a treatment plan.  More drastic routes of treatment such as casting or surgery can be taken if other methods are unsuccessful.   Scott ended up making the choice to have a cast on his foot for ten days and it was just removed this past Friday, March 25.  The choice to try a cast was likely after exhausting a variety of other treatment methods.  Hopefully for Scott and his fans, the cast will prove to have been effective in relieving Scott’s plantar fasciitis.

Please visit www.columbusfoot.com for more information or call 614-885 FEET (3338) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio in between Westerville, Worthington and Powell.

By Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia

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Podiatrist - Animesh Bhatia, D.P.M., C.W.S. , Sarah Newby, D.P.M. , Columbus OH, 43235, Dublin, OH 43017, (614) 885-3338
If you are in search of an experienced podiatrist in Columbus Ohio, you have come to the right place. Our podiatrists in Columbus, OH and Dublin, OH are highly skilled in many aspects of podiatric treatments. Selecting a foot doctor in your area can be a difficult task, but it doesn't have to be, especially when you have Dr. Bhatia and Dr. Newby as options.