Ankle And Foot Conditions Treatments
The ankle is one of the most mobile joints in the body, while our feet are highly complex. Unfortunately, these attributes also make them vulnerable.
Dr. Arcos sees patients for a vast range of ankle and foot pain issues, including all of the following:
- Achilles Tendinitis: This painful condition arises when patients overuse their Achilles tendon, which connects calf muscles to the heel bone. It is common in runners and older athletes.
- Ankle Bursitis: The bursa is a fluid-filled sac that cushions bones as they move. Bursae become inflamed when injured or overused, causing pain whenever the joint is flexed.
- Ankle Instability: If you constantly feel as if your ankle “gives out” when holding weight, you may be struggling with ankle instability resulting from an unhealed ligament injury.
- Ligament Damage: This painful condition results when ligaments stretch beyond their limits. They tear and may even completely sever, losing their ability to support the ankle.
- Tendinitis: Tendons connect muscle to bone and allow joints to move smoothly. Overuse or injury may cause tendons to swell and enlarge, losing their flexibility.
- Arthritis: Arthritis describes pain and stiffness resulting from inflamed joints. It can affect the ankle, foot, and other areas of the body, and is most common in older patients.
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS): This condition is caused by damaged nerves that continue sending intense pain signals long after the original injury has fully healed.
- Peripheral nerve injuries/compression
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome
Services Offered
With the right treatment, many patients find relief for their foot and ankle pain, and most do not require surgery. After a thorough evaluation, Dr. George Arcos will suggest a minimally invasive treatment to alleviate pain and return quality of life.
Some of the ankle and foot pain treatments offered include:
- Spinal Cord Stimulators: If other treatments have failed or surgery isn’t an option, a stimulator is an excellent alternative. It eliminates discomfort by blocking pain signals within the nervous system.
- Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) Therapy: The DRG is a biological switchboard that regulates sensory signals. It can be stimulated to intercept any pain signals arriving from the ankle or foot.
- Injections: Glucocorticoid and steroid injections can relieve pain and improve your mobility while you wait for an injury to heal. They offer an excellent option when other treatments have failed.
- Sympathetic Blocks: This treatment involves injecting a numbing agent around nerves in the lower back, turning off and resetting the sympathetic nervous system in that area.
- Trigger Point Injections: Many forms of chronic pain have trigger points, where sudden blows cause a pain episode. Physicians can inject anesthetics into trigger points to render them inactive.