Pain can be a debilitating experience. When extreme, it can disrupt daily functions and force one to go to great lengths to seek relief. Foot pain can be especially limiting and disabling as it affects walking, running and in some cases, even standing. People experience foot pain for a wide variety of conditions, and for chronic ones, adequate pain control is essential.
Common causes of persistent foot pain include
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Arthritis
- Tendonitis
- Bone Spurs
- Bursitis, etc.
Nerve irritation or compression, bone deformities, soft tissue injuries, and inflammation of tendons, muscle, joint capsules, nerves, and ligaments are the most common underlying reasons for persistent foot pain. While over-the-counter painkillers help alleviate mild-to-moderate pain, for more severe pain, one needs a better solution. Based on the underlying condition, significant pain relief can be achieved through interventional procedures. Ultrasound-guided analgesic injections (into joint spaces or nerves) are one such method to target the source of discomfort/pain caused by a variety of conditions.
Ultrasound-guided foot injections are common, generally safe, and reliably provide the desired pain control. It is a more desirable alternative to narcotics-based painkillers and produce lasting results. Ultrasound-guided intra-articular (joint) injections have been used successfully for decades for the treatment of chronic joint pain in the feet. Furthermore, it has no systemic side effects, such as drowsiness, impaired judgment, addiction potential, digestive problems, etc.
With the help of ultrasonographic technology, doctors can now accurately achieve proper needle placement and don’t have to rely on using anatomic landmarks and inject blindly. This is done to avoid the possibility of incorrect needle placement, and to ensure that the medication goes into the joint space. Ultrasonography is superior to fluoroscopy/xray as it does not involve exposure to ionizing radiation and also include the ability to directly see the surrounding soft tissue, vessels, and nerve structures. Ultrasonography is also very convenient and requires almost no patient preparation.
There are certain groups of people who cannot have peripheral joint injections. This includes persons who:
- Are pregnant
- Have a systemic infection
- Have a skin infection
- Are allergic to contrast dye
- Have blood clotting problems
Generally, one can expect pain relief to start in 1-2 days and last 2-4 months. If the patient undergoes a stem cell or PRP therapy procedure, relief typically starts within a few days and continues to improve for months.
Recent studies have found the US-guided anesthetic injections to be significantly less painful than without ultrasound guidance. Furthermore, 75% of patients reported good pain relief within 2 weeks of intervention. Another study, reported 50% less procedural pain when ultrasound guidance was used for injecting joints in arthritis patients.
At All-star Pain management, we provide a comprehensive multimodal approach to devise treatment plans that are individualized to your given condition and preferences. Our ultimate goal is to restore the patient’s previous level of function. We are grounded in evidence-based medicine and we are implementing new technologies and treatments that are safe, reliable and least discomforting.