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Every morning when
he got out of bed, 32-year-old Fabian Negron would
experience debilitating pain in his feet. After
walking around for a while, the pain would disappear.
Then, after sitting for an hour during his dinner
break - Mr. Negron worked the evening shift as
a nursing assistant in Huntington Hospital's Emergency
Department - he would again experience terrible
pain.
He consulted with attending podiatrist
Adam Keslonsky, DPM, who diagnosed his condition
as plantar fasciitis, a chronic inflammation of
a thick supportive connective tissue that runs
along the bottom of the foot from the heel to
the ball of the foot. After exhausting conservative
therapy, including rest, physical therapy, cortisone
injections, taping, antiinflammatory medications,
night splints, ice, stretching exercises, and
orthotics, Dr. Keslonsky successfully treated
Mr. Negron's condition using a relatively new
technique called extracorporeal shockwave therapy,
or ESWT.
Mr. Negron also had a heel spur,
a bony growth on the bottom of the heel that is
commonly diagnosed along with plantar fasciitis.
Although a heel spur can be visualized on an x-ray,
it is the plantar fasciitis that causes severe
pain, particularly after an extended period of
rest.
ESWT works by tricking the body
to heal its own injury.
"We use a device that sends high
energy electrohydraulic shock waves into the area
of the plantar fascia," Dr. Keslonsky explained.
The shockwaves cause damage to the connective
tissue in the foot, essentially replacing chronic
inflammation with acute inflammation. "The body
responds by sending rescue cells to the foot to
try to repair the acute injury."
As the acute injury is repaired,
the chronic inflammation heals at the same time.
The procedure is quick, painless,
and non-invasive. It takes about 15 minutes to
perform under intravenous sedation. Patients can
walk immediately following the treatment. Best
of all, ESWT provides a noninvasive alternative
to open surgery, which is painful, requires an
incision and an extensive recovery period.
"On average, 80 to 85 percent of
patients respond to this treatment," said Dr.
Keslonsky. "Most patients report that their foot
pain is significantly improved within several
weeks."
Mr. Negron could not have been more
pleased with his results. "I'm thrilled," he said.
"I did not want to have surgery."
His work schedule allows Mr. Negron
to have a lot of time with his wife, Irma, and
two sons, ages four and four months. Now that
he is painfree, he is looking forward to an active
summer of family fun. // |
