Foot Pain TreatmentFoot pain afflicts many people. We depend on our feet for so much, from simply getting from place to place to running, working, and dancing. When our feet hurt, our lives are greatly affected, and we’ll try everything we can to get relief. What foot pain treatments are available for this disabling chronic foot pain?
Options for relief may include orthotics, massage, and over-the-counter medications. When those don’t work, steroid injections, or even surgery may be recommended. Are there other options for foot pain?
When these common treatments fail to achieve the results you seek, regenerative treatments are effective alternatives. At OrthoRegen®, we offer non-surgical alternatives for foot and toe pain called Regenerative Orthopedics. The standard treatment options mentioned earlier may not achieve the relief sought because they oftentimes do not repair the underlying injury causing the pain. Regenerative Orthopedics addresses the underlying issue, which is commonly joint instability caused by tendon or ligament injury.
The foot, ankle, and toes consist of a lot of bones and joints. These joints are supported by soft tissue such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments. When any of these soft tissue structures become injured, the joint becomes weakened, setting in motion a cycle of abnormal joint movement. As time goes on, the abnormal movement increases, injuring the soft tissue further. The eventual result is arthritis in the joint.
Regenerative Orthopedics directed at the injured soft tissue, strengthens the tissue, and results in repair of the injured area. The joint stabilizes, function is enhanced, and pain will decrease.
Athlete and non-athletes alike who are experiencing a foot injury, very likely desire a treatment option that will get results quickly. Of course, you want to get back to training, return to your sport, or be able to do all of the activities that foot pain has disturbed for way too long. Regenerative Orthopedics rebuilds and restores the injured soft tissue, so you can return to what you love without long recovery times.
How can I know this treatment works? Regenerative Orthopedics are not a new treatment option. It’s been around for quite some time. And research has been done proving how beneficial it is.
For almost 100 years, research has shown the effectiveness of the regenerative treatment option Prolotherapy. (1)
Prolotherapy is simple, and works by boosting the bodies’ healing abilities at the injured or weakened area, strengthening and repairing damaged ligaments, tendons, and joint structures. (2)
Even in Morton’s Neuroma, a difficult to treat condition, Prolotherapy has been shown to be effective. (3) Morton’s Neuroma, like many other foot conditions, is most likely due to abnormal motion, combined with excessive stress of activity and weight bearing.
What about PRP? A study in the medical journal International Orthopedics showed that PRP injections were “associated with improved pain and function scores when compared with steroid injections” in patients with plantar fasciopathy who had failed to achieve relief with other conservative measures. (4)
Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of pain in the heel (plantar) of the foot. Another journal, the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine says,”that PRP may lead to a greater improvement in pain and functional outcome over corticosteroid injections in patients with plantar fasciitis.” (5)
Regenerative Orthopedics to the weakened areas strengthens and repairs the affected structures, resulting in increased ability to walk, exercise, and work without pain.
If foot, ankle, or toe pain is hindering you from carrying out or enjoying daily activities, and the common treatment options you’ve tried have not resulted in the relief you desire, we encourage you to try Regenerative Orthopedics. Call us to set up an appointment at 310-453-1234.
(1) Rabago D. Prolotherapy in primary care practice. Primary Care 2010 37: 65-80.
(2) Rabago D, Best TM, Beamsley M, Patterson J. A systematic review of prolotherapy for chronic musculoskeletal pain. Clin J Sports Medicine 2005 15: 376-380.
(3) Hauser, Ross A., Wayne A. Feister, and Debra K. Brinker. “Dextrose Prolotherapy Treatment for Unresolved “Morton’s Neuroma” Pain.”The Foot and Ankle Online Journal. 2012. doi: 10.3827/faoj.2012.0506.0001.
(4) Singh, Prashant, et al. “A systematic review and meta-analysis of platelet-rich plasma versus corticosteroid injections for plantar fasciopathy.” International orthopaedics 41 (2017): 1169-1181.
(5) Hurley, Eoghan T., et al. “Platelet-rich plasma versus corticosteroids for plantar fasciitis: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.” Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine 8.4 (2020): 2325967120915704.
