Cryosurgery or cryoanalgesia is a form of treatment for relief of painful foot and ankle conditions. All pain, regardless of the condition, is related to the nerves of the foot and ankle. This includes a neuroma, heel pain, neuropathy, injuries etc. While cryosurgery has been actively used by many specialties for about 30 years, it is gaining popularity due to its success in relieving pain and the patient's rapid return to normal activities. In addition, the procedure is minimally invasive and can be performed in the office with little discomfort. The patient is able to walk out of the office, says Dr. Marc Katz, an experienced cryosurgeon in Tampa, Florida.
Cryosurgery is typically used for those patients that have not had relief from pain associated with neuropathy, neuroma or heel problems. The procedure is also successful for pain associated with an injury, arthritis and for most other foot and ankle pain not relieved by conservative therapy. Dr. Katz reports that many of his patients want to try alternatives to more invasive surgical procedures to get relief. While cryosurgery does relieve pain, some patients may require additional treatments to obtain an acceptable amount of relief or may require periodic treatments for more prolonged relief. However, patients have no hesitation repeating the procedure if it means relief from pain.
Dr. Katz stated that this is another option available to patients giving them more choice when it comes to getting relief. The big advantages include high success, low complications, low cost and little to no down time.
So what exactly happens when a patient has cryosurgery?
Basically, super freezing is applied to the nerve that is causing pain. When controlled freezing and thawing occur, a portion of the nerve will breakdown. This causes a prolonged anesthetic effect and thus pain relief. This occurs because the pain signal to the brain has been disrupted. The physician can then address the underlying cause of problem and correct it to obtain more lasting relief. It is the natural course of healing for the body to attempt re-growth of the nerve. So many patients will receive custom orthotic arch support devices to realign the foot and ankle and allow healing without repeat damage to the nerve.
One major advantage of cryosurgery is that when the nerve heals and new growth forms, there is no occurrence of a stump neuroma. A stump neuroma is a disorderly growth of nerve tissue often resulting in chronic unresolved pain. Since the cryosurgical procedure leaves the outer coating or insulation of the nerve intact, the newly growing nerve has a pathway for orderly growth and allows pain-free regeneration.
Dr. Katz recommends this treatment to his patients before consideration of more invasive procedures. I don't compare cryosurgery to nerve removal or nerve releases procedures. It's like comparing apples to oranges! I believe that the procedure should be tried because of its success and it may avoid the need for nerve removal or release. This is a totally different approach to relieving pain and it is the future of pain relief. Why not try the procedure before having the nerve removed? Nerve removal has around a 20% failure rate and a significantly higher complication rate including stump neuroma and chronic pain. Katz says that if he can have a large percentage of his patients avoid a poor outcome it is certainly to the advantage of the patient. In addition, health care costs are decreased since a costly surgery center or hospital visit can be avoided.
Katz also noted that he has patients that have had nerves removed and have developed stump neuromas. He has treated these patients successfully with cryosurgery even after the more invasive procedures. So, there is always a chance for hope and relief.
When it comes to neuropathy, there really are few options with the exception of strong medications that are not well tolerated or just don't provide relief. While there are procedures for release of tissues around the nerves, many are not candidates to have this invasive procedure or their neuropathy is too severe to obtain success with nerve relief.
The Procedure
There are different methods of performing the cryosurgery procedure. Dr. Katz has developed his own protocol based on his experience and testing techniques to improve the success rate. Currently, the procedure is performed with local anesthesia such as Lidocaine or Marcaine. The probe is accurately placed on the nerve using a high powered vascular ultrasound, visualizing the nerves and blood vessels. In addition, where appropriate and tolerable, a nerve stimulator is used using a modified technique with minimal discomfort. Newer advanced techniques allow for visualization of the nerve with painless freezing and incorporation of the stimulator with minimal discomfort.
Cryosurgery is an excellent safe option for relief of foot and ankle pain. With advances in technology and technique, patients have additional choices available in their treatment regimen. The future of medicine is evolving into minimally invasive methods of treatment. Patients can now take advantage of this cutting edge pain relief technology.
Advances in Cryoanalgesia for Foot and Ankle Pain Relief
Foot and ankle pain has become an epidemic in our society. Diabetes, arthritis, weight gain, injuries and other medical conditions are known contributing factors. If you suffer from chronic foot and ankle pain, relief may be at your doorstep!
When people live with pain on a daily basis, they have difficulty performing simple daily activities. Some have difficulty sleeping or simply walking. This often leads to depression, weight gain and stress. The cycle continues, leading to further distress and life changes that are difficult. The conditions worsen as people don't know where to turn for relief.
Cryoanalgesia, also known as Cryosurgery, has been used for almost 20 years to relieve chronic foot and ankle pain by freezing the painful. Newly developed techniques and improvements in the CryoStar technology have led to excellent treatments for relief of pain.
Dr. Marc Katz, a Tampa Podiatrist, has performed hundreds of procedures for relief of foot and ankle pain. He has made it his goal to find a successful treatment and has refined the procedure through extensive training, advanced technology and experience. He found that many patients either lived with foot pain or had multiple types of treatments from many medical specialties with little to no relief. Many people had been told that there was nothing else that could be done to provide them with relief.
So where do you turn when you can't get relief from chronic foot and ankle pain?
Cryosurgery!
The procedure is minimally invasive and takes 15-30 minutes. During a typical in-office procedure, local anesthetic is used so that the cryoprobe can be introduced without discomfort. The probe is inserted through a small skin opening which will require no sutures. The doctor uses a stimulator to locate the nerve. The freeze cycles are then initiated to give long-term pain relief and produce an anesthetic effect.
The patient may perform most of their regular tasks immediately, however . they are advised to decrease their normal level of activity over the first 48 hours. Postoperative discomfort is minimal.
In some cases more than one treatment is needed to obtain optimal results. ?Success rates have been around 80 percent in most patients?, says Dr. Katz. ?As with any treatment, results will vary. However, most patients get significant relief with the Cryosurgery treatment. Some patients may require treatment of several nerve areas to get relief and may need the procedure repeated to gain additional relief.?
The latest more specialized Cryosurgery procedure takes advanced skills and is more time-intensive, but allows for localization of the abnormal nerve using a stimulator probe. Also, the area is checked for motor nerves. Those are the nerves that control muscle movement and should not be frozen for pain relief. ?It is a more exact and precise procedure, so there is little to no guessing. When freezing the nerve, I am more confident that the actual nerve is freezing and not just an area close to the nerve?, says Dr. Katz.
The Cryosurgery procedure sounds fairly straightforward, but it's more than technique and technology. Another important step in obtaining pain relief and success involves the correct diagnosis and finding the source of the pain. This can be a challenge because many patients have a hard time describing the type and location of their pain. The pain may also vary from day to day. Specialized protocols are used to locate the nerve causing the problem and to diagnose and prove the painful condition prior to performing any procedures. Dr Katz believes that this extra step is critical to good outcomes. ?Spending individualized time with each patient makes a world of difference.?
So what should my expectations be from the Cryosurgery procedure?
The majority of patients get significant pain relief for at least 6-8 months. The relief can be long-lasting if the underlying problem that initially caused the pain is treated. Not all patients treated with Cryosurgery will get relief. Some may require more than one treatment and others may not get relief at all. Also, after treating an area there may be numbness that can be long-lasting. Other previously unidentified pain areas may become more apparent after pain relief in another area. In those cases, the other involved nerves can also be treated. Complications are rare, however with any procedure, they can occur. This should be discussed with your Cryosurgeon prior to the procedure.
So don't give up, Cryosurgery may be the answer for relief of your painful foot and ankle problems.
Dr. Marc Katz is located at 508 S Habana Ave in Tampa.
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Marc Katz has sinced written about articles on various topics from Real Estate, Diabetes Treatment and Nails. Dr. Marc Katz is a Tampa Podiatrist that provides cutting edge techniques for relief of foot and ankle pain including Cryosurgery. Dr. Katz is Florida's premier cryosurgeon treating neuroma's, neuropathy and heel pain.. Marc Katz's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.