Arthritis in your feet or ankles: Why you should choose Next Step Foot and Ankle Clinic.
Foot or Ankle Arthritis: The “go to” diagnosis when you don’t know what’s going on.
Every day we see patients who have been diagnosed elsewhere with “arthritis” of the foot or ankle. It seems to be a diagnosis that is easily given and no real treatments are offered other than pills and maybe arch supports. The trick to treating arthritis is to diagnose if it really is arthritis and if it is, what is causing it.
Treating the cause not just the symptoms.
The secondary causes of pain that is diagnosed as “arthritis” are difficult to diagnose and require a careful history and a close physical exam. In almost 75% of the cases where patients have been diagnosed with “arthritis” there is some contributory problem that is causing the arthritis to be more painful. Sometimes no arthritis is present at all but there is another problem causing the pain. When starting a treatment plan, these contributory factors and alternative diagnoses need to be taken into account. Most of the time no one even looks for them. Frequently, addressing the cause makes the “arthritis” go away. Bad mechanics, short Achilles tendons, flat foot or foot deformities can all contribute to arthritis. We are very careful to look at all the potential causes of the pain. This helps make sure you get the right treatment.
Adjunctive treatments:
At Next Step Foot and Ankle Clinic we can provide you with custom orthotics, laser therapy, image guided injections for difficult to reach joints, and appropriate bracing all right here in the office. Basically, If you need it, we generally have it here at the clinic. And if we don’t, we can get it here right away. This can all be taken care of very quickly at your one-stop shop for foot and ankle pain…. Next Step Foot and Ankle Clinic.
New! at Next Step Foot & Ankle Clinic: A revolutionary Minimally Invasive Procedure for Arthritis
Frequently it is not the loss of cartilage in the joint that is hurting. It is the bone edema and cyst formation underneath the cartilage that is painful. Also, current research is showing a lot of foot or ankle arthritis pain can be managed very easily with the treatment called sub-chondroplasty. This is a minimally invasive procedure performed with just needle or a very small incision. The recovery for this procedure is very quick. Most patients walk immediately. This has actually become revolutionary shift in the paradigm in the treatment of foot and ankle arthritis pain.
If you have been diagnosed with foot or ankle arthritis by another provider, please allow us to give you a second opinion. We are one of the first doctors in San Antonio now able to help many patients with this minimally invasive procedure that previously we were unable to help.
So if you have been given the diagnosis of ”arthritis in the feet” and are not happy with how you’re progressing, pick up the phone and call Next Step Foot & Ankle Clinic for an appointment: Universal City 210-375-3318, Pleasanton 830-569-3338.
