Heel and neuroma pain can be debilitating. Patients often see multiple doctors and still cannot get relief. Until recently, the treatment options really had not changed for many years leaving patients with few options when conservative and even surgical care fail. Dr. Marc Katz notes that some doctors claim that they are using unique injections; however, the reality is that these injections have been used for years with minor modifications. They may include substances such as cortisone, alcohol, anesthetic or B-12, all common medications used in the typical podiatry practice.

Katz, who practices in Tampa FL, notes that we have entered the new era of foot pain relief. The medical trends for treatment are moving more towards minimally-invasive techniques that provide long-term relief, quick return to activity, and fast recovery without a risky procedure. Introducing the cryosurgery procedure, the best new advanced approach for foot & ankle pain relief. Cryosurgery is a minimally-invasive office technique that allows rapid return to work and high success rates in relieving heel and neuroma pain. Long-term relief is achieved by freezing the nerve to around -70 degrees Fahrenheit. The procedure is performed using a local anesthetic, avoiding more risky types of anesthesia. Relief is usually obtained in one treatment; although, in some cases, a second treatment is required to get optimal relief.

Dr. Katz is known nationally for developing advanced techniques using color power ultrasound guidance to get the best results from the cryosurgery procedure. He has coined the term “CryoMax” for his high-tech, ultrasound-guided technique. This differs significantly from the standard cryosurgery techniques that either do not use ultrasound or use black and white ultrasound which is ineffective in locating the nerve and blood vessel bundle required for accurate treatment. Dr. Katz has abandoned these less effective techniques due to lower success rates and less relief. With his new approach, Dr. Katz's success-rates have skyrocketed!

There are many successful patient cases that demonstrate how cryosurgery has led to life-changing pain relief.

Judy Billings of Apollo Beach had severe foot pain for the last two years. “The pain was so bad, it felt like I was being electrically shocked anytime I put pressure on my foot by standing or walking. I was limping to walk, and I used every kind of padding and special shoes available and nothing worked. I literally tried everything.”

At the age of 66, Billings also had osteoporosis in her hips and was told by doctors that she should be walking for 30 minutes per day. Her foot pain was so excruciating, she wasn't able to fulfill doctor's orders to maintain her health.

Finally, Billings had cryosurgery procedure done in both of her feet by Dr. Marc Katz of Advanced Podiatry in Tampa. “Now I don't have any pain. Cryosurgery just froze the nerve, and now the pain is completely gone,” explained Billings.

Tamara Rampino of Largo shares a similar story. “I had incredible foot pain for probably two years.” explained Rampino. “My work makes me stand on my feet for 10 to 12 hours per day and I was in so much pain. I am self-employed, and a single mother with no health insurance, so I couldn't take a lot of time off to get treatment for my foot. Through ‘cryo', I was able to recover in 3 days.”

“I would get up in the morning, hobble around, and ice my foot.” continues Rampino. “I never could put all my weight on my right foot. I was cranky and gained 30 pounds from not being able to be active. I used to play tennis and golf and because of foot pain could no longer do those activities. I would literally be in tears every day after work. I would cry in my car on the way home because my foot would be burning and hurting so bad.”

Now Rampino walks every morning for an hour. She also cheerfully explains her ‘shoe fetish' in which she was never able to wear regular shoes or heels due to her foot pain. Now she owns about 60 pairs of shoes and heels.

These are just two of the hundreds of success stories that Dr. Katz and cryosurgery have created for his patients.

Cryosurgery is typically used when conservative treatments have failed but some patients opt to use the procedure as a treatment early in the process. They just want relief as soon as possible because their lifestyle suffers from the pain. Dr. Katz notes that more major cutting procedures of the heel involve cutting the strongest support structure of the foot, the plantar fascia. He believes that this leads to foot and ankle instability and ultimately a weakened arch. Patients often do not get relief and may even get worse or have complications. When it comes to neuroma pain, the feared stump neuroma may be the result of the typical surgery to remove the nerve. There is also a fairly high failure rate with the nerve removal.

Cryosurgery avoids many of the common problems associated with treatment for heel and neuroma pain. While the procedure does not give relief all of the time, it is certainly far superior to the current options that are typically used by other physicians, adds Katz. Pain relief has been exceptional with CryoMax and the procedure can be repeated if required. Most patients state that they would gladly repeat the procedure if necessary.