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Foot & Ankle Joint
PAIN TREATMENTS

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Let’s face it, it is difficult to ignore if you have a foot or ankle problem. Pain can start out subtle and we make adjustments, putting more weight on the foot and ankle that hurts less. Some people stop doing the exercises they love most, like running. Symptoms can progress and ultimately inhibit just the ability to walk pain-free.

The feet and ankles are complex structures that bear the whole body’s weight. They are the base of our skeleton and prone to overuse, arthritis, degeneration, laxity, instability and ultimately pain.

Fortunately, foot and ankle injuries are particularly responsive to regenerative medicine therapies.

Common reasons for foot and ankle pain include:

Let’s face it, it is difficult to ignore if you have a foot or ankle problem. Pain can start out subtle and we make adjustments, putting more weight on the foot and ankle that hurts less. Some people stop doing the exercises they love most, like running. Symptoms can progress and ultimately inhibit just the ability to walk pain-free.

The feet and ankles are complex structures that bear the whole body’s weight. They are the base of our skeleton and prone to overuse, arthritis, degeneration, laxity, instability and ultimately pain.

Fortunately, foot and ankle injuries are particularly responsive to regenerative medicine therapies.

Common reasons for foot and ankle pain include:

Achilles Tendon Injury
The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body and can commonly cause pain due to injury but even more so by overuse and complicated by a person’s weight and foot structure. This tendon has poor healing capabilities (like other tendons) due to poor blood flow. The Achilles tendon has very poor blood flow in the middle to lower third of the tendon (2-6 cm above the heel) and this is where acute and chronic problems occur. This will cause chronic pain in this region and limit the ability to walk, run or jump.
Plantar Fasciitis
The plantar fascia is ligamentous type tissue that helps make up the arch of the foot and attaches to the heel bone. When it is injured or worn out (degenerated) it will cause pain in the heel, typically toward the inside of the foot. It is worse first thing in the morning and makes the first steps out of bed very difficult. Pain can also occur with walking or standing throughout the day and can cause pain into the bottom of the foot. Pain can also occur with walking or standing throughout the day and can cause pain into the bottom of the foot.
Ankle Sprains and Instability
The ankle ”joint” is made up of multiple different joints all held together by ligaments. A typical ankle sprain occurs when the ankle is forcefully turned inward stretching or tearing the ligaments on the outside part of the ankle. Acutely this causes pain and swelling, sometimes bruising.

When the ligament or ligaments do not heal correctly they weaken and make one prone to recurrent ankle sprains. This is instability. It may be described as a weak ankle but the cause is from ligament damage and loss of strength in that ligament.

Ultimately this leads to chronic pain in the ankle and loss or restriction of function.

Osteoarthritis of the Ankle
Osteoarthritis of the ankle is when the cartilage between the tibia and talus bone wears out due to degeneration or trauma. This also occurs in smaller parts of the ankle (i.e. subtalar joint and midfoot joints). This can cause pain in the front of the ankle but also around the joint and into the foot. Other symptoms include swelling, stiffness and noise with motion (crepitus).
Posterior Tibial and Peroneal Tendonitis
Along with the Achilles tendon these are other common tendons that can be injured or worn out subsequently causing pain in the ankle or foot. The posterior tibial tendon runs from the inside of your lower leg across the ankle and attaches to the foot. This tendon helps maintain your arch and when torn or worn out can lead to a flat foot. This tendon is more commonly affected in women and is influenced by footwear and a person’s weight.

The peroneal tendon is on the outside of the leg and attaches to the outside of the foot. It can be injured with ankle sprains and other trauma as well wear and tear from repetitive movements. Both of these tendons can lead to pain anywhere from the lower leg to the foot. They are vital for stability to the ankle and can lead to chronic ankle pain.

THE KRASNICK SOLUTION

How can Dr. Krasnick help you recover and restore naturally to health without drugs or surgery?

Foot Ultrasound

EXAM & DIAGNOSIS

Before a patient can be treated for foot and ankle pain, a correct diagnosis must be made.

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First, Dr. Krasnick will obtain a detailed history and perform a thorough physical examination. Frequently a musculoskeletal ultrasound will be done to understand where your foot and ankle pain is coming from. If you have any imaging studies such as X-rays, MRI or CT Scans, please bring the actual images to the appointment for Dr. Krasnick to review himself.

Injection Treatment

TREATMENT PROGRAM

Once a diagnosis is made, a comprehensive treatment program will be determined.

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This may include regenerative medical treatments such as: Prolotherapy, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), Stem Cell Therapy, Prolozone™, Neural Prolotherapy (Lyftogt Technique®) and Hydrodissection. None of these treatments contain any drugs, steroids, narcotics or NSAIDs, are performed in the office and do not require surgery. Dr. Krasnick performs injections under ultrasound guidance, so he is highly accurate in injecting the treatment to the exact location needed. These treatments allow the body’s own natural healing powers to recover and restore to health.

Balanced Diet

HEALTH & WELLNESS

To optimize treatment, we focus on the whole patient and not just the foot and ankle pain.

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This means Dr. Krasnick will investigate, discuss and make recommendations about your health and wellness. Important factors in order to optimize outcomes include cellular health. This entails optimizing your nutrition and diet to ensure you are getting the proper macro and micronutrients. Simple changes in diet and addition of vitamins and supplements can go a long way to improving outcomes. Dr. Krasnick will also focus on functional movement, which includes strength and flexibility. We know the body, especially, the musculoskeletal system acts as a whole and therefore pre- and post-treatment exercise or physical therapy will be recommended. Of course treatment and attention to the injured structure (joint or surrounding ligaments and tendons) will be discussed in detail, with specific post-procedure protocols when needed.

A procedure is not always needed and when possible trying to solve the problem with other noninvasive and holistic approaches will be sought.

None of the regenerative treatments contain any drugs, steroids, narcotics or NSAIDs, are performed in the office and do not require surgery. Dr. Krasnick performs injections under ultrasound guidance, so he is highly accurate in injecting the treatment to the exact location needed. These treatments allow the body’s own natural healing powers to recover and restore to health.

If you are looking for a non-surgical, drug-free, natural, alternative pain treatment for your foot and ankle pain, then contact us at (734) 585-5653 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Krasnick.

OVERVIEW OF FOOT & ANKLE PAIN CONDITIONS

Achilles Tendon Injury

More About This Condition
The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body and can commonly cause pain due to injury but even more so by overuse and complicated by a person’s weight and foot structure. This tendon has poor healing capabilities (like other tendons) due to poor blood flow. The Achilles tendon has very poor blood flow in the middle to lower third of the tendon (2-6 cm above the heel) and this is where acute and chronic problems occur. This will cause chronic pain in this region and limit the ability to walk, run or jump.

Plantar Fasciitis

More About This Condition
The plantar fascia is ligamentous type tissue that helps make up the arch of the foot and attaches to the heel bone. When it is injured or worn out (degenerated) it will cause pain in the heel, typically toward the inside of the foot. It is worse first thing in the morning and makes the first steps out of bed very difficult. Pain can also occur with walking or standing throughout the day and can cause pain into the bottom of the foot. Pain can also occur with walking or standing throughout the day and can cause pain into the bottom of the foot.

Ankle Sprains and Instability

More About This Condition
The ankle ”joint” is made up of multiple different joints all held together by ligaments. A typical ankle sprain occurs when the ankle is forcefully turned inward stretching or tearing the ligaments on the outside part of the ankle. Acutely this causes pain and swelling, sometimes bruising.

When the ligament or ligaments do not heal correctly they weaken and make one prone to recurrent ankle sprains. This is instability. It may be described as a weak ankle but the cause is from ligament damage and loss of strength in that ligament.

Ultimately this leads to chronic pain in the ankle and loss or restriction of function.

Osteoarthritis of the Ankle

More About This Condition
Osteoarthritis of the ankle is when the cartilage between the tibia and talus bone wears out due to degeneration or trauma. This also occurs in smaller parts of the ankle (i.e. subtalar joint and midfoot joints). This can cause pain in the front of the ankle but also around the joint and into the foot. Other symptoms include swelling, stiffness and noise with motion (crepitus).

Posterior Tibial and Peroneal Tendonitis

More About This Condition
Along with the Achilles tendon these are other common tendons that can be injured or worn out subsequently causing pain in the ankle or foot. The posterior tibial tendon runs from the inside of your lower leg across the ankle and attaches to the foot. This tendon helps maintain your arch and when torn or worn out can lead to a flat foot. This tendon is more commonly affected in women and is influenced by footwear and a person’s weight.

The peroneal tendon is on the outside of the leg and attaches to the outside of the foot. It can be injured with ankle sprains and other trauma as well wear and tear from repetitive movements. Both of these tendons can lead to pain anywhere from the lower leg to the foot. They are vital for stability to the ankle and can lead to chronic ankle pain.

Traditional treatments. Have you tried them and still have pain?

Steroids & Ibuprofen
Traditionally, foot and ankle pain treatment includes use of pain medications, physical therapy, steroid injections and surgery. Steroids can weaken the immune system and reduce your ability to fight infections, raise blood sugar, weaken bones or worsen osteoporosis and cause weight gain. Repeated use of steroids can worsen glaucoma or cause cataracts. Cortisone injections, though may provide temporary relief and can help when there is an inflammatory condition, can be harmful, especially when they are repetitively given. Repeated injections will cause tissue (tendon, ligament, cartilage) breakdown and can lead to further or accelerated degeneration and tearing of these structures.

Non-Steroidal-Anti-Inflammatory-Drugs (NSAIDS) such as Ibuprofen, Advil and Motrin can temporarily relieve pain, but also reduce the cells that are needed to repair damaged tendons and ligaments and this can lead to more instability and pain! NSAIDS can also lead to bleeding in the stomach, ulcers and kidney damage. Narcotics are also used to treat pain in feet and ankles, but can lead to side effects of constipation and drug dependency. For some patients, surgery is considered, but has greater risks such as infection or more pain.

Let us help you make progress toward physical rejuvenation.

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