How successful is surgery for a heel spur that has not improved after cortisone injections & orthotics?
I have a severe heel spur (planar fasciitis (?)) that has practically disabled me. Nothing my podiatrist has done worked. Taking ibuprofen and icing it helps a little. Wearing a heel cushion and orthotics doesnt help. Are there stats about the outcome of surgery? Are there different types of surgery? Or other kinds of treatment? I'm getting desperate.
I am really sorry to hear about your feet problem. I am a Certified Pedorthist and I'm trained to help people with feet problems. I work closely with Orthopedics and Podiatrist in helping them get the right shoes, orthotics etc. for their patients. I worked with several patients who had severe heel spurs and really bad plantar fasciitis. I will be happy to offer my assistance to you.
First when you say that you have heel spurs then in ( ) say plantar fasciitis, have you been given a specific diagnosis? A heel spur is easily seen on an xray. Have you had one and if so were you definitely told it was a spur. I have been very fortunate to help people with heel spurs almost as successful with plantar. Plantar is a little trickier because if you've had it for an extended period, say a couple of years, then the sensivity of the plantar facia may be so extreme that surgery may be your last option. If you have plantar I would be happy to give you my opinion as to what I would recommend and you might consider it before making the decision for surgery. If you have a heel spur then this is something that can be worked on that will improve your quality of life possibly without the need for surgery. The fact that you state that orthotics do not work suggests to me that you might have an extended case of plantar. Although we make orthotics, I have OT arch supports that I have had more success with than custom made orthotics. My only caveat to you is to keep in mind that once you have the cut made there is no turning back. In my years of doing this I have seen a very mixed bag of people who ultimately come to me after their surgery. The vast majority say they wish they had not made the decision to do the surgery. I also have a few who swear by theirs. Like most things, it probably turns on the quality of the person doing the cutting.
Let me know if you would like to have more information on this matter. Right now with the information that you've provided I would need to have more info.
good luck
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December 9th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I am really sorry to hear about your feet problem. I am a Certified Pedorthist and I'm trained to help people with feet problems. I work closely with Orthopedics and Podiatrist in helping them get the right shoes, orthotics etc. for their patients. I worked with several patients who had severe heel spurs and really bad plantar fasciitis. I will be happy to offer my assistance to you.
First when you say that you have heel spurs then in ( ) say plantar fasciitis, have you been given a specific diagnosis? A heel spur is easily seen on an xray. Have you had one and if so were you definitely told it was a spur. I have been very fortunate to help people with heel spurs almost as successful with plantar. Plantar is a little trickier because if you've had it for an extended period, say a couple of years, then the sensivity of the plantar facia may be so extreme that surgery may be your last option. If you have plantar I would be happy to give you my opinion as to what I would recommend and you might consider it before making the decision for surgery. If you have a heel spur then this is something that can be worked on that will improve your quality of life possibly without the need for surgery. The fact that you state that orthotics do not work suggests to me that you might have an extended case of plantar. Although we make orthotics, I have OT arch supports that I have had more success with than custom made orthotics. My only caveat to you is to keep in mind that once you have the cut made there is no turning back. In my years of doing this I have seen a very mixed bag of people who ultimately come to me after their surgery. The vast majority say they wish they had not made the decision to do the surgery. I also have a few who swear by theirs. Like most things, it probably turns on the quality of the person doing the cutting.
Let me know if you would like to have more information on this matter. Right now with the information that you've provided I would need to have more info.
good luck
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