Ask the Doctor: Plantar Fasciitis; Chelation Therapy
Q: I have pain in the bottom of my foot in the area of my heel. What could be causing it?
A: It’s possible that you have plantar fasciitis, characterized by pain in the morning when you take your first step, followed by slight improvement, and then an increase in pain later in the day. The condition also can cause pain when you’ve been sitting for a while and then get up to walk. With plantar fasciitis, the pain originates in the plantar fascia, a band of tissue that extends lengthwise from your heel to the ball of your foot. If the tension on this tissue is too great, the fascia can develop small tears and become inflamed, which is what causes the pain.
You’re more likely to develop plantar fasciitis if you’re overweight and/or you have diabetes, high arches or flat feet, or spend a lot of time on your feet. It also can occur if you don’t warm up before exercise and then overstretch the plantar fascia.
Treatments you can try at home include gentle stretching, icing your heel and ankle, and taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, naproxen) to reduce the pain. Also, wear shoes that provide adequate cushioning and good support, and avoid going barefoot, especially on hard surfaces such as tile or cement floors.
Heel pain also may be caused by a stress fracture in the calcaneus (heel bone). This pain tends to occur after you’ve walked for a while. It’s fairly common among people who overtrain or run on hard surfaces, or in older adults with low bone mass (osteopenia) or osteoporosis. If you have a calcaneal stress fracture, treat it with rest, ice, a heel pad, and over-the-counter pain relievers. You’ll also have to stay off of it as much as possible to allow the fracture to heal.
If the pain continues or worsens, or it interferes with daily activities or exercise, see your doctor; you may want to get a referral to a podiatrist, who specializes in foot care.
Q: What is chelation therapy? Does it have any proven benefits?
A: Chelation therapy is used to remove heavy metals, such as mercury, arsenic, and lead, from the body with a solution such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), which is usually administered intravenously. EDTA works by binding to metals in the bloodstream, which helps the body expel them in urine.
Chelation therapy has been used to treat heavy metal poisoning for more than 40 years. More recently, it has been touted as a treatment for a wide range of conditions, including cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and even Alzheimer’s disease.
Some proponents of chelation therapy say that it can improve blood flow in the arteries by removing the calcium from plaque that has built up on the artery walls. However, the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) found that, among people who had had heart attacks, only study participants who had diabetes saw reduced risks of cardiovascular events and fewer recurrent heart attacks after chelation therapy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved chelation therapy for any purpose other than heavy metal removal. There are also over-the-counter chelation supplements, one of which claims that it “cleans arteries fast,” but supplements are not regulated by the FDA. The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology have determined that it’s uncertain whether chelation therapy is useful as a treatment for heart disease.
Bottom line: Currently, there’s no conclusive evidence supporting the use of chelation therapy for cardiovascular health. Also, rare but serious side effects have been linked with chelation therapy, including hypocalcemia (abnormally low calcium blood levels), permanent kidney damage, and death.
—Editor-in-Chief Orli R. Etingin, MD
The post Ask the Doctor: Plantar Fasciitis; Chelation Therapy appeared first on University Health News.
Read Original Article: Ask the Doctor: Plantar Fasciitis; Chelation Therapy »
