Director Of Foot & Ankle Center Pfeffer Says Options Abound To Treat Foot Pain

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Director Of Foot And Ankle Center Says Options Abound To Treat

Chronic Foot Pain

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=50604

Author Dianna and her husband enjoy active vacations, from

exploring Mayan and Aztec ruins in Mexico to taking walking tours

through Scotland. So when chronic foot pain sidelined her after

bunion surgery, began an extensive search for medical options

to end her pain and restore her mobility.

In the process, she sent an e-mail message to the Orthopedic Surgery

Department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and 10 minutes later

received a call from Glenn B. Pfeffer, M.D.

" I was shocked by his quick response, " said , who had recently

moved to California where her husband produces a network television

program. " He hadn't even unpacked the boxes in his new office yet. "

Pfeffer, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who is also a

specialist in foot and ankle surgery and hand and microvascular

surgery, had also recently moved to California to become the first

director of Cedars-Sinai's Foot and Ankle Center which opened in

January 2006. The center sees patients who have problems ranging from

bunions and hammer toes to sports injuries or arthritis involving the

foot or ankle.

explained that she had had initial bunion surgery in Georgia

in November, 2004. Afterward, she had chronic pain and could not put

weight on her foot without a limp, making it impossible for her to

resume her active lifestyle. Her doctor had said that the pain was

caused by an incurable nerve problem not related to her surgery, but

Pfeffer suspected a different problem. Using advanced tests performed

at Cedars-Sinai, he confirmed that the nerves in her foot were

normal, but that she needed another surgery to remove part of a bone

that had become infected since the first surgery. After the second

surgery (which included transplanting healthy bone harvested from her

other foot), she was walking without pain within three months.

Pfeffer urges people who have chronic foot or ankle pain that

interferes with their activities to seek a medical

evaluation. " Particularly after a sports injury, millions of

Americans will live with chronic pain symptoms. In fact, 20 percent

of people who sprain their ankle will have chronic pain or inability

to return to their previous activity level. That's an indication that

something is wrong that needs to be diagnosed and treated. No one

should accept chronic foot or ankle pain as normal. "

Pfeffer added that if an injury goes untreated, it can often get

worse. " One of the most common problems we see is ankle arthritis,

which usually results from a previous injury, " he said. " However,

once the correct diagnosis is made, there are many new treatment

options available, from minimally invasive cartilage restoration to

total ankle joint replacement, which can be an excellent alternative

to ankle fusion, which is the traditional treatment. "

" Most foot and ankle problems can be helped without surgery, but if

an operation is required, you want to go to a center that has a

strong focus and expertise in foot and ankle surgeries, " Pfeffer

added.

doesn't hesitate to express her gratitude for Pfeffer's

correct diagnosis and the foot surgery that followed and relieved her

chronic pain. " This sounds extreme, but I honestly feel like Dr.

Pfeffer gave me my life back. If I hadn't been able to do the things

I like to do, it would have been a tremendous loss to me. I'm walking

again now - not as fast as I was at one time - but I'll get there. "