How to Keep Toenail Fungus from Spreading
Fungal nails are frustrating and embarrassing — don’t pass them on to your loved ones. Here are some tips from a podiatry expert to help you keep your toenail fungus to yourself.
Say Good-Bye to Heel Pain: 5 Non-Surgical Treatment Solutions for Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis isn’t a small matter. This painful condition affects millions and accounts for 15% of all foot symptoms that require professional medical care.
Instead of limping through your routine and waiting for the day your heel pain goes away (a day that likely won’t come on its own), see us for treatment.
Dr. Maurice Aiken at Bay Breeze Foot & Ankle Specialists offers the best plantar fasciitis treatments, ranging from ultraconservative to revolutionary and groundbreaking. Here’s a closer look.
1. Custom orthotics
Custom orthotics are usually the first place we start treating plantar fasciitis, but they’re an effective therapy at virtually every stage.
We design your orthotics to gently lift the arches of your feet and take pressure off the plantar fascia, giving it time to heal and preventing further damage. Custom orthotics are tailored to your specifications and have the perfect cushioning comfort and firm support ratio.
So, whether you’re in the beginning stages of plantar fasciitis or it’s been a problem for years, let’s talk about getting you fitted for custom orthotics.
2. Erchonia® cold laser therapy
People are turning to laser treatments for everything from skin flaws and stubborn fat to chronic pain conditions like plantar fasciitis.
Erchonia cold laser therapy is one of the industry’s leading laser therapy systems. It uses different colors (wavelengths) of low-level light energy to treat various conditions, achieving drug-like effects without the harmful side effects of prescription medications.
The Erchonia lasers target individual cells, triggering biological changes to decrease pain, temper inflammation, and ultimately ramp up the healing process.
3. Amnio Fluid Flow™ injections
Amnio Fluid Flow injections are a staple in our lineup of regenerative medicine treatments. This specific injection is a kind of allograft procedure, meaning tissue is transported from one person to another.
The tissue in question is amniotic fluid from the placenta. Placental tissue is rich in growth and healing factors, and once injected into the plantar fascia, it promotes lasting tissue repair and healing.
4. Physical therapy
Physical therapy is another for-all-stages type of treatment appropriate for mild and more progressed plantar fasciitis.
Your physical therapist guides you through stretches and exercises that strengthen the muscles surrounding your plantar fascia and promote flexibility. The goal is to improve both your pain and your foot mechanics.
You should also receive a set of at-home exercises to maximize your in-office sessions.
5. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT)
Extracorporeal (outside your body) shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that uses sound waves to gradually break down tissue to reboot your body’s natural healing process.
What else can I do?
Regardless of where you are in your plantar fasciitis journey, we always encourage our patients to adjust their lifestyles to maximize their treatment plans. This includes:
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Wearing supportive shoes
- Exercising regularly
- Avoiding high-impact activities
- Resting at the first sign of pain
- Stretching daily
Plantar fasciitis is challenging to live with but easy to treat. Don’t spend another day in pain. Call or click to schedule an appointment with Dr. Aiken at our Dunedin, Florida, office today.
You Might Also Enjoy...
Why You Shouldn't Ignore Signs of a Stress Fracture
Your bones are incredibly strong, but all it takes is a small chink in their armor to compromise them. Here, we look at stress fractures and how a thin crack can wreak widespread havoc on your bones.
5 Ways to Reduce Ankle Arthritis Pain
Step, ouch, step, ouch, step, ouch. That’s no way to live. If ankle arthritis makes every stride unbearable, you need these tips for reducing the pain and getting back on your feet.
How to Ease Your Recurrent Achilles Tendon Pain
Walking hurts, and stairs are impossible, and you've been dealing with the problem for too long — will your heel ever heal? Here's why your Achilles heel pain keeps returning and how to kick it to the curb.
7 Conditions That Can Benefit From Custom Orthotics
Ready to deal with your foot pain? It could be as easy as sliding a pair of custom orthotics into your shoes. See if your foot condition makes our list of seven problems that respond well to custom orthotics.
Laser Therapy for Fungal Toenails: How It Works and What to Expect
Spotting a fungal toenail is easy, but treating it is far more challenging unless you know where to turn. This blog walks you through our advanced laser therapy treatments, which zap away stubborn fungus.