4 Heart-Healthy Swaps for Your Diet
Learning how to eat healthy can be one of the most challenging tasks to master, especially if your go-to snack is decadent or salty. Read on for some healthy swaps to get started on a healthier you.
How PRP Can Treat Your Heel Pain
Typically over the course of the average day, you take about 4,000-6,000 steps, translating to an estimated 100,000 miles over a lifetime. What’s truly impressive about these numbers is that on an average day of walking, you apply pressure on your feet to the tune of hundreds of tons — the equivalent weight of a loaded cement truck.
It’s no wonder that so many people experience serious foot problems. The most common foot malady is foot pain with heel pain. More specifically, plantar fasciitis is the leading culprit.
If you’re among the 2 million Americans who suffer from heel pain each year, you’re all too familiar with the fact that getting relief can often be frustrating. You may feel like you’re in a never-ending cycle of treatment and the obligatory recommended rest and time off your feet, which may be all but impossible to do. But is there a better way?
Think platelet-rich plasma (PRP). In this blog, the highly skilled providers at Cardio Metabolic Institute in Somerset, Monroe Township, Edison, and East Brunswick, New Jersey, explain how PRP can treat your heel pain.
What is PRP, and what does the procedure involve?
Platelet-rich plasma is an emerging advanced medical treatment modality. It taps into the human body’s natural growth and healing process by using an injection of a patient’s own blood that has been processed to increase the concentration of platelets.
PRP injections can treat a variety of sports or overuse injuries, including heel pain, plantar fasciitis, tendinosis, bursitis, osteoarthritis, severe muscle tears or sprains, or even degenerative conditions like arthritis.
A doctor typically performs PRP injections on an outpatient basis. The procedure takes about an hour from the blood draw to the actual injection.
Your provider draws up to 2 ounces of blood, spins it in a centrifuge to separate the blood components, and processes the sample to create a high concentration of platelets in plasma. After cleaning the injection site with iodine or alcohol, your doctor injects your PRP into the damaged ligament, tendon, cartilage, or muscle.
If needed, your doctor may use ultrasound to ensure the best possible placement of the injection. These procedures are called ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma injections. As is the case with other injections, patients may experience temporary sensitivity, pain, or swelling in the injection site for a few days after the procedure.
How PRP provides effective, lasting heel pain relief
If you or someone you know suffers from heel pain, you’re probably aware that a variety of treatment tactics are available to relieve pain, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, bracing, splints, custom orthotics, and corticosteroid injections. Physical therapy is also beneficial for improving mobility, flexibility, and strength.
Getting relief from pain so you move around better is great, but for many patients who suffer from plantar fasciitis treatment, results are often short-lived. That’s where the healing potential of PRP comes in.
PRP clinical research supports the ultimate trifecta for patients suffering from chronic plantar fasciitis — it can treat pain, improve mobility, and even speed up healing.
PRP is a nonsurgical, natural treatment option
Platelet-rich plasma injections provide patients with painful, debilitating conditions with a nonsurgical, minimally invasive option that not only relieves their symptoms, but also mimics the body’s natural healing process. Imagine being able to say goodbye to the cycle of pain and mobility issues and hello to living a more productive and pain-free life.
If you suffer from heel pain and want to learn if PRP is right for you, contact the Cardio Metabolic Institute office nearest you for an evaluation. Click or call for an appointment today.
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