Heel Spur syndrome or Plantar Fasciitis are common conditions that afflict a great deal of the population. Generally, these conditions are self limiting and respond to conservative therapy. Occasionally, these conditions will result in surgery, due to the plantar fasciitis not responding to conservative treatment. Below I have listed five questions to ask your podiatrist before undergoing Heel Spur surgery or Plantar Fasciitis surgery.
5. Have we done enough Conservative therapy? About 90% of Plantar Fasciitis will resolve because of non surgical treatments. There are numerous treatments that can be attempted. There is not set amount of treatments that should be attempted before having surgery for plantar fasciitis. But, some that should definitely be attempted are: Stretching, anti inflammatory, cortisone shots and a heel insert or orthotic. Also, one should not expect the cure to happen overnight. Before having surgery on Plantar Fasciitis a patient should wait at least two months trying different treatments. Then after all that is done a surgery can be considered.
4. What surgery is the Podiatrist performing? Generally, the most accepted and successful plantar fasciitis surgery involves a section of the medial band of the plantar fascia, either endoscopically or percutaneously via small incisions. The risk factor in this particular surgery is low. The one complication that can occur is continued pain, in other words, the surgery does not work. This is quick and effective surgery, that also has a quick recovery time. The other more involved surgery is heel spur resection, which is a much more complicated procedure and unnecessary. The Heel Spur has been shown in multiple medical articles to not be the cause of pain in plantar fasciitis and in no way contribute to the condition. One should think long and hard before having the heel spur resected.
The Gentlemen’s Plantar Fasciitis Orthotic Walking Shoes.
3. How long will I be off my feet? This varies by the surgeon and the operation with no universal opinion accepted. For the Endoscopic Plantar Fasciotomy some Podiatrists will walk the patient immediately after the surgery, while others will keep them off the foot for two weeks. In an open heel spur resection, you maybe looking at two months of non weight bearing based on the amount of the resection.
2. How many plantar fascial surgeries do you do in a month? This number should be low, as most heel spur surgeries respond to conservative therapy. If the number quoted by the Podiatrist is high, you may want to see another Podiatrist for further conservative treatments. Any number above four or five plantar fascial surgeries a month should signal alarm bells.
1. What is your success rate on this surgery? If they are honest they will not tell you one hundred percent. Their rate they should quote should be between an 80-90% success rate. With this surgery it is not a slam dunk and your podiatrist can do everything right and you will still have pain. These are one of the many questions you should consider before undergoing plantar fascial surgery.