'Revolutionary shock therapy' may benefit people with foot problems.Byline: ANI Sydney, Dec 29 (ANI): A revolutionary new form of shock therapy pioneered by a team of German researchers may benefit millions of people who suffer the agony of heel spurs Heel Spurs Definition A heel spur is a bony projection on the sole (plantar) region of the heel bone (also known as the calcaneous). This condition may accompany or result from severe cases of inflammation to the structure called plantar fascia. and fallen arches. In recent years, surgical procedures have had some limited success in treating the condition. In fact, in many cases the surgery is unsuccessful and worsens the condition. Now, the German researchers at the Mare Clinic in Kiel say they have devised a safe and effective way of eliminating the pain and curing heel spurs, the common and painful heel painful heel An idiopathic condition of older ♂ causing tenderness of the heel associated with focal edema;1⁄2 have calcaneal spur formation Prognosis Persistent pain or spontaneous resolution condition called plantar fasciitis plantar fasciitis n. Inflammation of the fascia on the plantar surface of the foot, usually at the attachment to the heel, often making it painful to walk. in medical jargon. Their 'radial extracorporeal extracorporeal /ex·tra·cor·po·re·al/ (-kor-por´e-al) situated or occurring outside the body. ex·tra·cor·po·re·al adj. Situated or occurring outside the body. shock wave therapy' requires absolutely no anaesthesia anaesthesia anesthesia. and no post-procedure rehabilitation time. "Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy Shock wave therapy A method of treating tennis elbow and other musculoskeletal injuries that involves directing bursts of high-pressure sound waves at the affected area. Mentioned in: Tennis Elbow significantly improves pain, function and quality of life compared with placebo in patients with recalcitrant plantar fasciitis," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Dr Ludger Gerdesmeyer, as saying. "Three interventions of radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy ... were studied in 245 patients with chronic plantar fasciitis," he added. After a three-month follow-up, the researchers found dramatic decrease in heel pain at first steps in the morning, during daily activities and during standardised pressure force. There was no recurrence of heel-spur symptoms after 12 months. The overall success rate was 61 per cent, which the Kiel scientists called remarkable. However, the researchers warned that more study is needed. "Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy is an effective treatment for chronic plantar fasciitis that can be administered to outpatients without anaesthesia but has not yet been evaluated in controlled trials," Gerdesmeyer said. The study is published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.(ANI) Copyright E 2008 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion