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Get answers to your Foot and Ankle questions.
Dr. Farber’s Bio | Q&A Archive
Your doctor will usually first recommend:
Other steps to relieve pain include:
If these treatments do not work, your doctor may recommend:
In a few patients, nonsurgical treatment does not work. Surgery to release the tight tissue becomes necessary.
Nonsurgical treatments almost always improve the pain. Treatment can last from several months to 2 years before symptoms get better. Most patients feel better in 9 months. Some people need surgery to relieve the pain.
Pain may continue despite treatment. Some people may need surgery. Surgery has its own risks. Talk to your doctor about the risks of surgery.
Contact your health care provider if you have symptoms of plantar fasciitis.
Wapner KL, Parekh SG. Heel pain. In: DeLee JC, Drez D Jr, Miller MD, eds. DeLee and Drez’s Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2009:section F.
Abu-Laban RV, Ho K. Ankle and foot. In: Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, et al, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2009:chap 55.
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