Podiatry Today Current Issue

Reexamining The Fundamentals In Treating Plantar Fasciitis (Or Plantar Fasciosis)

admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:01:41 -0400

When we put our editorial calendar together each year, one of the struggles is putting together an entire theme issue of fresh perspectives on heel pain. It is one of the most common conditions that DPMs see in practice and plantar fasciitis reportedly accounts for over 1 million patient visits a year in the United States. Given the prevalence of the condition, we continue to address this topic in depth every November. Hopefully, the collection of feature articles in our 7th Annual Heel Pain Theme issue will stimulate discussion and debate.

In the cov

When Good Help Is Hard To Find

admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:01:41 -0400

I have been reading podiatry articles for pointers on how to run an office for the last eight years of private practice. I have adopted the advice of all the practice management gurus in our professional world. They write with ease and enjoyment on the how-to’s of conducting employee interviews, compiling employee manuals, creating job descriptions, how to train, how to treat staff and so on. I have absorbed this advice and feel they provide good tips for facilitating a good working environment.

I condone open communication with my staff so we can

Conquering Posterior Heel Pain In Athletes

admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:01:41 -0400

Americans of all ages are participating in athletic activities, including football, at a higher level than ever before. Unfortunately, this also leads to an increased incidence of injury. Heel pain is a common complaint among athletes. It can be particularly disabling and result in a loss of playing time.

Heel pain comes in many forms: plantar fasciitis, Baxter’s neuritis, tarsal tunnel syndrome, calcaneal apophysitis, Achilles te

Should You Change Your Approach To Plantar Fasciosis?

admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:01:41 -0400

It is universally accepted that the most common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis.¹ In this same vein, there is a widespread perception that plantar fasciitis is often easily treated with whatever eclectic “recipe” an individual has developed.

Interestingly, even our present use of the term “fasciitis” is erroneous, not to mention that there is a huge gap between our general understanding and what basic medical science demonstrates in regard to our clinical understanding and treatment of plantar fasciitis. There have been rec

How To Perform An In-Step Plantar Fasciotomy

admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:01:41 -0400

Heel pain is obviously one of the most common complaints we see in podiatric office. The causes of heel pain are varied and include tarsal tunnel syndrome, Baxter’s neuritis, calcaneal stress fracture and spondyloarthropathies, just to name a few. For the majority of these patients, the diagnosis is plantar fasciitis.

Many of these patients will get better with conservative care, which includes stretching, orthotic devices and steroid injections. Those who still have pain may find relief with extracorporeal shockwave therapy. Patients who still d

How To Detect Chronic Heel Pain With Musculoskeletal Ultrasound

admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:01:41 -0400

Throughout the previous three decades, technological advances paved the way for the use of sonography in diagnosing and assessing musculoskeletal pathology. Continued innovations in this arena have led to affordable portable units that enable private office practitioners to utilize ultrasonography. Use of these units has grown over the last five years, especially in rheumatology. In fact, one leading ultrasound company has turned all of its advertising attention from the podiatry profession to rheumatology. However, podiatry still remains a formidable market for the portable

How To Address Mechanically-Induced Subcalcaneal Pain

admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:01:41 -0400

Given the abundance of articles written about heel pain and plantar fasciitis, practitioners may wonder whether there is anything new to learn. The prevalence of this condition accounts for the amount of press that it gets, both in the medical community and in the news, but are all the articles and studies discussing the same thing? The numerous opinions and conflicting data may indicate that heel pain is more complicated than people realize. Perhaps some variable has been omitted in the research that contributes to the conflicting outcomes.

Many ter

How To Solve The Mystery Of Declining Accounts Receivable

admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:01:41 -0400

Accounts receivable (A/R) represent free cash flow that is the lifeblood of any medical practice. Staying on top of A/R enables a practice to pay the bills, take care of office payroll and satisfy operational obligations. In the reimbursement climate that exists today, it is not unusual for A/R to represent 75 percent of a hospital’s investments in current assets. For podiatrists, it is not unusual for 30 percent or more of all office A/R to be more than 120 days old.

A feature of A/Rs that makes them unique is the settlement for less than billed

Studies Assess Impact Of Valdecoxib For Post-Bunionectomy Pain

admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:01:41 -0400

When patients have pain after a bunionectomy procedure, what are the best options for providing pain relief? Two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, recently published in the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association, note that patients who took valdecoxib (Bextra, Pfizer)

Can Endovascular Atherectomy Be Beneficial In Diabetic Limb Salvage?

admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:01:41 -0400

The non-traumatic lower extremity amputation rate among people with diabetes mellitus has increased 38 percent from 1992 to 2002.¹ The number of amputations has increased from 99,552 in 2000 to 110,000 in 2002.² To appreciate this statistic, this is more than double the number of amputations on U.S. soldiers from the Civil War through Vietnam.³

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is largely undiagnosed. Of the estimated 12 million Americans with PAD, 2.5 million are diagnosed and only 4 percent are treated interventio