You have heel pain, and you’ve just been diagnosed with heel spurs. Safe to assume that the spurs are causing the pain, right? Don’t be so sure. About 95 percent of heel spurs are asymptomatic—they don’t hurt. If you have heel pain, it’s far more likely to be caused by plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the ligament, known as the plantar fascia, that connects the heel bone (calcaneus) to the bones near the front of the foot. So what exactly is a heel spur? And, if it doesn’t usually cause
Chronic Ankle Instability with Dr. Ucciferri
It can be difficult to tell when your ankle is sprained and when it’s broken. A broken ankle—a fracture—is an injury to bone, whereas a sprain is injury to a ligament, one of the tough fibers that connect bones to each other. It may not matter at the time—all you know is that your ankle hurts and you can’t walk well or at all—but a sprained versus a broken ankle has big implications, both for your treatment as well as your future ankle health. Chronic Ankle Instability Sprained ankles beget
Sever’s Disease with Dr. Tar
If your young athlete complains of heel pain at the start of the winter sports season, there are a number of potential reasons for it. The most common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis, which occurs when the tough band of tissue on the sole of the foot becomes irritated and inflamed. However, plantar fasciitis is not particularly common in children. There could be a different reason for your child’s heel pain. Ever heard of growing pains? They’re real, and Sever’s disease is one
Alabama Quarterback High Ankle Sprain Treated With TightRope Procedure
Heading into the College Football Playoff National Championship this Monday, all eyes will be on Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa—specifically, on his ankle. As the number one ranked Crimson Tide goes for its third championship in five years (it won in 2016 and 2018) against number two ranked Clemson, everyone is wondering: Will the Hawaiian sophomore’s ankle hold up for the big game? Two weeks ago it seemed unthinkable that Tagovailoa would be Alabama’s starter in the National
Diagnosing and Treating Tennis Elbow With Dr. Nordstrom
Elbow pain is a common complaint among athletes and people of all ages. That’s because a large number of conditions can cause elbow pain. Tennis elbow is one of the most common of these, but how do you know that’s what you have? The proper name of tennis elbow is lateral epicondylitis. “Lateral” in this case means on the outside of the elbow, which is where you’ll feel the pain if you have tennis elbow. On the outside of the elbow is a bony bump known as the lateral epicondyle. Sometimes—for
Ganglion Cysts with Dr. Said
If you have a bump on your wrist or hand, you might wonder where it came from. You might wonder if it’s dangerous or even cancerous. Luckily, the most common type of bump on the wrist is called a ganglion cyst, and it is not a sign of cancer. If you’re worried about what that mass on your hand is, here’s an easy way to tell. Place a small flashlight directly over the bump. If light shines all the way through it, it’s probably a ganglion cyst. However, many types of masses can appear on the
