EPF Surgery Problems
This is a thread posted in category: Foot Surgery . . View All Heel Pain CategoriesPosted by Jay S. Grife, Attorney at Law on 11/06/05 at 12:45
=============
Hi Scott:
As usual, I monitor your site and message boards and do thank you and your
staff for the support. I think this might help some of your readers and
posters as an update. Feel free to post this on your site. Please confirm
and send me the hyperlink if you post it.
Jay
The EPF procedure remains the most widely abused surgery performed by
podiatrists and other health care providers and is the source of multiple
complications which continue to permanently disable patients. As a rule, it
is performed by podiatrists but can be performed by anyone licensed in foot
surgery. Personally, I have seen young and old, healthy and ill, men and
women all put into a tremendous post-operative medical and economical
conundrum due to this surgery and its high failure rate. Not being able to
return to work can reek havoc on an entire family and often be the source
for family failures. The real issue as to the EPF procedure is what to do as
a patient prior to surgery and what to do if complications arise.
As to what to do before, I am now an attorney who represents patients
injured by foot surgery. I no longer practice medicine so I will simply
suggest that anyone contemplating any surgery for a heel problem, EPF, open
surgery, or any other variant they come up with, read, study, and listen to
the suggestions on heelspurs.com. You will not believe how truthful and
honest most of the posts actually are.
As far as afterward, if the surgery is successful, then thank the higher
powers and move on. You are lucky. Alternatively, IMMEDIATELY tell your
doctor about any signs or symptoms which seem different than those you were
hopefully explained before the surgery. These can be as minor as numbness or
coldness to as major as deep pain in the joints or bones. If after several
visits your doctor does not address the concerns, then seek a 2nd opinion.
Go to another doctor and simply tell that doctor what is wrong and seek
their opinion. Often times, it will be consoling to hear nothing is wrong.
But if there is something amiss, hopefully it can be caught early on. The
most common problems are highlighted in the heelspurs.com website and the
footlaw.com website.
Legally, successful cases with EPF have taken a turn southward. The problem
is proving to a jury that there is post-operative pain caused by the doctor
when a juror can look at the foot and see nothing is wrong visually.
Ridiculous you might say because you are telling the truth but in spite of
your veracity, that is what has been happening. We are consistently seeing
these types of cases lost because there is nothing for a juror to hang their
hat on; i.e. deformed bones, destructive x-rays etc. The cases where success
has been achieved is if there is nerve damage from the surgery and the
patient has seen a neurologist and done nerve studies and can show objective
problems. We were recently successful in an Atlanta case where the EPF
victim saw another doctor who opened up her entire foot along the heel area
and found a nerve cut and damaged by the EPF. He was able to repair it and
despite the 2nd successful surgery, the patient gained only 60% reduction in
post-operative pain. Overall, we are now accepting very few EPF cases
because of the above and I am afraid other lawyers are similarly restrained.
Someone has mentioned the possibility of a class action lawsuit. Personally
I like the idea. I believe there are thousands of patients now crippled and
in pain because of EPF surgery and the promises of no future pain and an
immediate return to work. That being said, who would the class identify to
blame? Can you blame the inventors of the EPF surgery? Of course but the
truth is that they are very prudent and skilled doctors who use the EPF
surgery as they designed it and obtain generally positive results. Certainly
they should be applauded not blamed. Your individual doctor who caused YOU
the pain? YOU could litigate such a case but to certify a class, you need
common denominators and 1 doc here and another there would not suffice. I
honestly believe that there are sufficient common denominators which
patients injured by EPF share and these are readily quantified on the
heelspurs.com website. The rush into surgery, the promises of early
ambulation, the assurances of no pain are but a few. So we can tie the class
members together but against whom? I have filed 7 (not a typo) podiatry
malpractice lawsuits against the same podiatrist in St. Augustine Florida
during the past 3 years. Certainly if all of my clients had the same surgery
or complications, I could form a class vs. this podiatrist. But their cases
are unique for the most part. Who can you blame for opening the floodgates
of malpractice using the EPF surgery in a manner where the pre-operative
surgical criteria are not properly satisfied? If there is a single doctor
who has caused numerous patients injuries from EPF surgery, I will be ready
and willing to evaluate your case. I would ask you, the victims, to think of
a party or parties against whom liability can be litigated. Help me and I
will help you.
Finally, we receive many, many inquiries about complications and injuries
from patients throughout the United States and even internationally. We
litigate cases in many of the 50 United States. If we are unable to respond
to each individual inquiry, accept this apology but we try our best. We
strive to help victims of negligent doctors seek a just and equitable remedy
for the problems caused but regretfully, we cannot accept every case we
review (we receive hundreds of queries and possible cases per month). We
generally try to respond to each and every inquiry within 48 hours and if by
chance we have omitted yours, email us a 2nd time (emails are not infallible
as we all know).
Personally, I wish each of you, victims of likely negligent physicians
performing unnecessary surgery, the very best and we are there to help you
if we can. Send us your case facts and we will attempt to guide you in the
right direction if we can. Find us a class link and you have my assurance
that I will attempt to reign in the terror of EPF surgery.
Best wishes,
Jay S. Grife
Attorney at Law
Doctor of Podiatric Medicine
Master of Arts in Legal History
http://www.footlaw.com
Posted by Charles C. on 11/06/05 at 14:54
I am a recently retired podiatrist and read with interest you thoughts on EPF. I do agree with you on the idea that there is way too much inappropriate foot surgery being performed by unscruplulous podiatrists. However, this is also true of orthopods and other specialties, as well, and I am here to tell you that I have yet to see an MD give proper informed consent on the numerous surgeries I have personally undergone. I think the major insurance carrier for podiatrits, PICA, has done a great job on getting DPM's to give adequate informed consent, and if they don't, they deserve the lawsuits that inevitably follow. Most patients, if you told them they could be permanently disabled from lateral pain from EPF, will hold off forever, and allow you to get the orthotic, injections, physical therapy, etc., to do their work. Interestingly, those patients that I have done standard plantar fasciotomy or EPF on that have gone through all the conservative treatments seldom have a permanent disability from plantar fasciotomy. When you rush in, or give in to patient pressue to do surgery right away, without proper conservative care, that's when the problems occur.
CFC, DPM
Posted by Jay Grife on 11/06/05 at 16:51
If you follow the storyline these doctors tell, it is all the same as buying a used car. Buy it today or it will be too late in the future. You need this surgery now because after 2 days you will be in shoes and walking and in 14 ready to dance a jig. In another post I asked doctors to help me by testifying as experts so let's see if some of these doctors do have a spine.
Dr. C., I think you might have been one of those who actually cared about patients and not the Mercedes in the driveway.
JG
Posted by Jay Grife on 11/06/05 at 17:02
I have read all of your comments and in general you all are trying your best
to provide professional and honest responses. But let me pose something for
the doctors and the victims who read this thread.
Doctors, we ALL know that there are negligent doctors performing EPF and we
ALL know that the many victims who come to heelspurs.com are in fact very
accurate with their complications and problems. How can you as doctors help?
I will give you 2 very simple ways. First, continue your support of these
victims who need a shoulder and a strong spine from a professional to help
then through the post-operative turmoil. I sincerely applaud your efforts
and know you are not the source of the problems. So number 2 is the
following. Doctors, help me STOP doctors from doing unnecessary and improper
EPF and heel surgery by testifying as to negligence. The public always
believes that there is the old good guys club where docs protect docs. Well
public, it is 1000000000% true. Doctors, the vast majority of them, will
close their eyes to the negligence of their colleagues at the expense of the
public. I see it every day when experts I retain are threatened by other
doctors to basically come on, let it slide, the next time it could be you
and we will protect you then. So, to the doctors who care, send me your
resume and agree to testify against those doctors whose negligence is
causing the problems identified here. YOU know who they are as well as I do
so stop protecting them and help the victims whose lives are now permanently
ruined.
To the posters, I will let you know if any of the doctors stand up and agree
to fight for your rights. I have done so at grave threat to myself and my
family but I know it is the right thing to do. So let's see who really
cares.
Best to all my doctor colleagues for your generous work.
Jay Grife
Attorney at Law
DPM
Posted by Dr. Z on 11/06/05 at 17:08
I am willing to help patients in any way as I have for the past 25 years. If you would like to discuss my help . I can be reached at footcare at comcast.net
Posted by Scott R on 11/06/05 at 17:11
I don't think the public really knows or considers the problems a doctor might face in testifying against a colleague. Most jurors are not aware of the problems (on the one hand) and unethical opportunities (on the other) that attornies face when trying to come up with "expert" witnesses. I myself have sat in court and listened to a bunch of bull be accepted as fact just because of who's saying it. The other side had the facts, but getting them worked in was another matter.
Posted by Ed Davis, DPM on 11/06/05 at 18:02
If a patient has an injury or deformity in which the goal of surgery is to restore anatomic function to as close to normal as possible it certainly is understandable if a patient and doctor (irrespective of degree) move toward surgery sooner than later. That simply is not the case with a plantar fascial release irrespective of what technique is utlized. Plantar fascial release surgery is surgery that removes a normal part of the foot's anatomy, the plantar fascial attachment to the heel bone. The plantar fascia is an essential part of the foot that has a well understood function in support of the structures of the foot as well as a mechanism (AKA the "windlass" mechanism) that basically converts the kinetic energy applied to it from a step to potential energy (the stretch that occurs when the fascia is under tension during midstance and early propulsion), back to kinetic energy (moving energy or force) that occurs when the heel comes off the ground to allow one to propel forward. The plantar fascia is thus an "organ" of locomotion (walking) and not something to be sacrificed except for extenuating circumstances, in my opinion. I don't feel that a valid reason be "because insurance covered it." In other words, plantar fascial release is not reconstructive in nature as far as surgery is concerned.
Patients and doctors who opt for plantar fascial release need to have an understanding of what is to be lost and what is to be gained by such a procedure. There are, unquestionably, times that plantar fascial release is warranted but considering the available technology and alternatives, such surgery should not be performed with any significant frequency as I see it.
Ed
Posted by Dr. Z on 11/06/05 at 18:14
I have read and agree with what you have stated in your post. PF release can and have destroyed the lives of many people. This is a serious procedure that can cause chronic pain for the rest of the pateints live. We have Brian on this board who if it wasn't for morphine probaby couln't walk.
The procedures sounds and looks so easy that patients are talked into and fooled with the hopes of it will be all better in a few days or weeks.
Is it hard to convince a jury due to lack of visualization of the problem that may or may not be true . This depends on the expert and the attorney
As for the class action I agree that this could be very hard to link to togther. I am not an attorney but I bet the legal issues are very complex
Posted by Dr. Z on 11/06/05 at 18:16
Jury trials can be a show and all the ones I have seen are not the truth but who can tell a better story. This has changed in New Jersey and other states . You have to testify as to the standards of care and not some story that doesn 't make sense or is something that will win the cases.
So this is changing Scott
Posted by Shari R on 11/06/05 at 21:43
Posted by Ed Davis DPM on 11/07/05 at 10:53
Glad to see that you are on the right track now. I just cannot agree with the approach taken by the surgeon who advised surgery based on what you have stated. Even the ACFAS guidelines which are "kind" to surgery as the ACFAS represents a pro-surgery viewpoint ask that a reasonable amount of conservative care be utilized before considering surgery.
Dr. Ed
Posted by april on 11/07/05 at 12:51
I really think surgery works and that only a small percentage are true failures. The thing is, most people think it didn't work when they are not instantly better. It takes time for the foot to adjust to the changes. Also, in my experience, i had PF for a long time without realizing anything was wrong and unconsciously walked differently to compensate and to avoid the pain. It took many months to relearn how to walk properly and not lean on the outside of my foot. I think people will have lateral pain when they walk this way and just because you have surgery it doesn't mean you suddenly stop walking that way. Adjusting takes time. How many people come to a site like this when the surgery is successful? Besides me, probably not too many. I do because i remember being where Shari is right now, and being very angry, hopeless, and wanting to sue my doctor. I am 100% better now. It takes time. I went through the surgery twice and it was the same thing both times. This is just my opinion, and i realize it is not a popular opinion on this site.
Posted by Dr. David S. Wander on 11/07/05 at 14:27
Posted by Ed Davis DPM on 11/07/05 at 15:30
Good point. I also would encourage patients to get online and read things like the ACFAS guidelines at the ACFAS site or go to the consumer site now available from the ACFAS depending on how many details they need to be adequately informed. The thing about "informed consent" is that it can be difficult to determine since if we put 5 doctors in a room and have them in complete agreement on this subject... There has to be some minimum standard in this area though.
Ed
Posted by Dr. David S. Wander on 11/07/05 at 16:04
I'm not sure if every doctor has to agree on what needs to be included in an informed consent. Obviously, when I give a list of complications that can occur, it can not include every possible complication that can occur. I list complications that I consider are reasonable, with a "disclaimer" that there are other complications that may occur that aren't listed, and often discuss some of those other complications. The point is that I've taken the time to attempt to educate my patients and not simply push a paper in front of them to sign. I think that no matter what you have on your consent, whether there is a unified ACFAS guideline or not, as long as you've attempted to educate your patient and you've taken the time to explain to your patient the risks and complications that you feel are reasonable, you've done your job.
Posted by Ed Davis DPM on 11/07/05 at 18:31
I think that we both agree and seem to practice in a similar fashion. There may not be a need for guidelines of any sort if all docs agreed to consider the type philosophies we have presented. Organizations such as ACFAS and other similar organizations appeared to have percieved a need to step up to the plate to "write things down" for the benefit of the respective professions and their patients. Such written "guidelines" just seemed to be needed and someone had to put a pen to paper...
Ed
Posted by Ed Davis DPM on 11/07/05 at 18:50
Also consider that you are one voice as is Dr. Z and I. The ACFAS, as an organization, does represent a conglomeration of a lot of professional opinions which are not necessarily in agreement. Things that they write down, including "guidelines" are basically the product of committees and represent a type of concensus based on a lot of individual docs with potentially strong opinions who were able to agree on some "basics." I am a member of ACFAS despite the fact that there are many things that I potentially would not agree with that ACFAS may have have done or guidelines which I could bring up plenty of debate points.
Ed
Posted by Dr. David S. Wander on 11/07/05 at 19:43
Posted by Ed Davis DPM on 11/07/05 at 21:03
I remember the one on ingrown nails. I read it once, years ago and basically set it aside never thinking that anyone would actually act on such a document such as an insurance company. It was one of the early ones, if not the first, and it appeared to be an "academic exercise" in preparation for the other ones to follow. It seemed to have a lot of things that were not pertinent to the way the majority practices. Do you know if anyone has brought that issue up with the ACFAS? It is getting to be a fairly old document. Other areas such as hallux rigidus (painful stiff big toe joint-readers) tend to be difficult to have updated guidelines on since the technology has changed so much. Just today a rep came in to present the new "Arthrosurface" implant from Arthrex (the latest big toe joint implant). The plantar fascial surgery was written in 2001, before ESWT became more widely known and before cryo but the basics have not changed that much and there have not been any significant novel surgical approaches to the plantar fascia betwwen 2001 and now that I am aware of.
Ed
Posted by Dr. Z on 11/07/05 at 21:15
Wouldn't they also calling their slant back a partial nail avulsion ?
Posted by Dr. Z on 11/07/05 at 21:16
Wouldn't they also calling their slant back a partial nail avulsion ?
Posted by Deborah M on 11/08/05 at 07:20
Posted by Dr. David S. Wander on 11/08/05 at 07:45
No, in the ACFAS guideline the slant back would not be considered a partial nail avulsion as per my post above, and therefore would fall under the category of "palliative" care. If you read the true guidelines for Medicare in PA (HGSA), in order to bill for 11730 anesthesia must be used and a simple slant back is not considered an avulsion. The nail must be taken below the eponychium. This all stemmed from the ACFAS guidelines several years ago. I believe that the ACFAS did respond to this and added an "edit" to the guidelines. Theoretically, if you are billing a 11730 to Medicare in PA with no anesthesia, you are committing fraud.
Posted by Dr. David S. Wander on 11/08/05 at 07:45
Posted by Ralph on 11/08/05 at 10:52
Because of a low back problem one doctor gave me a photo of the body showing the spine and the main nerves that are coming off of it and what other parts of the body these nerves can affect.
It was most interesting to me because I had no idea that certain parts of the foot and toes were affected by certain nerves that travel pathways from the spine, down the leg, into the foot and then to the toes.
It wouldn't surprise me that your jaw problem could be related, but the only way that you would know for certain I think is to see a neurologist or a physical medicine doctor.
I found a good physical medicine doctor and have learned more about the workings of my body than from anyone. It's amazing how much they know and what they treat. I've never had anyone spend soooo much time with me
trying to get a handle on my back pain. I don't want surgery if I don't have to have it and he thinks he can handle it so I'm for trying this path first. These guys seem to be on a mission to fine the problem and because they don't do surgery it's not the first word that you hear out of their mouth.
If your condition doesn't clear up I would ask to have some nerve testing done.
Posted by Ed Davis DPM on 11/08/05 at 11:20
This was a debated topic 22 years ago and cannot beleive it is still an issue. Theoretically, no nail should exist in an area after a provider billed 11750 which is nail avulsion with "root" or nail matrix but I have seen lots of patients who have a "history" of having done, often by non-podiatrists who need it repeated - something that theroretically should not be happening. There are just too many people who want medicine practiced on a calculator, something that simply cannot be done with the real people who are our patients.
Ed
Posted by april l on 11/08/05 at 11:23
Posted by D. on 11/08/05 at 21:33
Posted by Dr. David S. Wander on 11/09/05 at 07:10
I'm not sure how this whole "blog" thing works. If you've had a bad experience with your podiatrist it's truly unfortunate. If in your blog you mention his/her name and "slam" the doctor, I would first check with an attorney to make sure you don't set yourself up for a libel case. I'm not sure if you can expose yourself to any liability, so you may want to check with an attorney to prevent yourself from any legal issues!
Posted by D. on 11/09/05 at 08:23
Thanks for responding.
Check this out. I could be wrong, but there doesn't seem to be any legal implications to one stating one's experience.
October 25, 2005 -- NEW York dentists have begun buying up
negative-sounding domain names because disgruntled patients have gone
from picketing outside their offices to detailing their grievances on
Web blogs.
"State authorities are so slow to process claims and so reluctant to
punish professionals," explained one expert.
First there was baddentist.com, where unhappy clients went after Dr.
Larry Rosenthal, who brightened the bicuspids of Donald Trump, Bruce
Springsteen and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The site has drawn over 200,000
hits. Rosenthal, who has denied any wrongdoing, settled several
malpractice suits.
The latest version of vigilante consumer education is
worstdentist.com, which is devoted to the alleged atrocities of
cosmetic dentist Jeffrey Golub-Evans, who is responsible for the
smiles of Kim Cattrall, Regis Philbin, Wayne Newton and Bridget
Moynihan.
The renegade site claims that Golub-Evans has been sued for
malpractice 12 times and made 10 malpractice payments totaling more
than $300,000.
Posted by Dr. Z on 11/09/05 at 09:12
I am going to read the site. I do want to make it clear that I am just using numbers and I have no idea what any of these case are about. I treat the hoofs not the mouth.
Posted by Dr. Z on 11/09/05 at 09:17
That's was my point. PA Podiatrists were calling the slant back a partial nail avulsion and billing as such 11730. This was going on for a very long time before any guildlines. The guildlines came out due to the Pa Podiatrists refusing to bill correctly in the first place
Insurance companies consulted with the ACFAS for advice with education even though it was in the ALWAYS in medicare guildline.
Anyway that was my observation of how this all came about
Posted by D. on 11/09/05 at 10:26
So who's going to prevent the next 100 patients (non heelspur visitors of course) from lining up for EPF surgery from this same pod? How are they to know?
i noticed that the domain name "bad podiatrists" has not been taken yet. Could be worth a lot of money
.Posted by BudP on 11/11/05 at 22:19
I agree with you on your remarks about EPF. It's been 2 years now and my surgery worked great. The key is slowly return to normal. There are a great number of people who don't post the positive results because sometimes they are blasted by people that are against surgery. I'm not referring to any of the Dr.'s. BudP
Posted by Ed Davis, DPM on 11/12/05 at 01:20
Like any procedure, one has to consider the population of patients with plantar fasciitis who are undergoing surgical treatment. It will work of some who will be very happy, fail for others and have complications for a percentage of patients. Like all things in life, one must weigh the potential risks and postential benefits. ESWT has a success rate in the high 80's to low 90% range. Plantar fascial release surgery has roughly a 60 to 70% success rate depending on the source so more than half of the patients who have this procedure will do just fine. The problem is that the 30 to 40% failure rate means that there will be a LOT of unhappy patients out there, many of whom cannot return to their jobs, their avocations and possibly have difficulty supporting their families. If plantar fascial release surgery was the only alternative to cure intractable plantar fasciitis then maybe the high failure rate is worth the risk. Considering the fact that alternatives such as ESWT, cryotherapy, etc. exist and considering the fact that better than 90% of patients with intractable plantar fasciiitis NEED NOT assume such a risk then it is really hard for me to understand why anyone would want to basically "roll the dice" with their future. Certainly, if some people consider themselves brave enough to take high risk of failure and dysfunction perhaps that bravery can be redirected toward some worthy humanitarian cause. Just my opinion on this...
Dr. Ed
Posted by april on 11/12/05 at 10:30
I agree with you about posting positive results. It sometimes comes across as invalidating to those who are still in pain and think they have had failed surgery. I wonder how many are truly failures? I thought my first EPF was a failure because after 8 months i was still in pain. It took time and using my foot to recover. I get frustrated when people post about how they're surgery was a failure when it has only been a few weeks or months! I want to tell them to hang in there and be patient. I also believe that not using the foot is going to make things worse. I believe the fascia must heal in a lengthened position and it will regrow/heal in the tight position if not used. My doctor insisted I stretch and walk on it as much as possible. It hurt, yes, but in the long run it helped. I only wish all doctors would explain that it often takes 6 months to a year...even sometimes more to recover and become pain free. I had my surgeries 6 years apart, done by two different podiatrists and both were the same...they took a long time to heal. Even the first doctor, who gave me all kinds of misinformation and called me a baby, performed a successful surgery on me. He doesn't even know it because i never went back to the guy after his rude comments to me. Still it was a success. How many people who claim to have had failed EPF eventually recover and don't tell their doctors? I believe no one should deem their surgery a failure until a year has passed with no progress. I post here hoping to give hope to those still suffering after their surgeries, but i'm afraid it doesn't always come across that way. I am happy I had surgery. I suffered many many years and the time to recover from the surgery was just a drop in the bucket compared to all the years of suffering. It really would be a shame if doctors stopped doing the surgery. And many people continue to suffer because they are scared after reading this site.
Posted by Ed Davis, DPM on 11/12/05 at 13:24
I don't think that anyone on this site wants to scare anyone, just to inform people of their experiences. I think that when people are cured of a problem, irrespective of the problem and treatment, they often just want to get on with their lives and lose interest in online chat boards such as this one. I have asked a number of patients who were cured by ESWT to post their experiences here but they did not as they felt better and appeared to lose interest in doing such posts. So we tend not to hear a lot of success stories on any type of treatment here. We do tend to hear from the people who are still in pain or people who have limited function. It is wonderful when the surgery works but the dilemna is that there are a very large number of surgical treatment failures out there and those patients need a place to come to not only to vent their frustrations but to look for a cure to the pain they are in. Additionally, many individuals who have not had success with the surgery have gotten better via other means and want to share their experiences with others. Again, keep in mind that conservative treatments will cure over 90% of individuals with plantar fasciitis and that type of treatment has minimal downside other than the wait for resoloution although one who has surgery also has to wait for healing. Again, what can be done to help the 30 to 40% of the population that do not meet success with surgery?
Dr. Ed
Posted by april on 11/12/05 at 14:12
You just said what I have been saying all along. People who have success generally do not stick around here and post about it. I think many here complaining that their surgeries are a failure will eventually heal and actually will be in the success category. That is my point. If new readers come to this site and hear that people are still suffering after 6 weeks, yes, that will probably scare them. I question the actual failure rates. I don't believe 30-40 percent failure is accurate. How many people think their surgeries are failures and go on to seek a second opinion? The original doctor who did the surgery would not ever know if the surgery was in fact a success. My own first podiatrist has no idea that he performed a successful EPF on me 8 years ago. With his awful bedside manner, he will never find out. My doctor said he personally has about a 90% success rate with EPF, and he will not do surgery until all conservative treatments have failed. Also, he requires physical therapy both before and after surgery. Sitting at home resting the foot after surgery is a recipe for a failed surgery, imo.
Posted by Ed Davis, DPM on 11/13/05 at 15:08
I am unaware of published studies that can give us an accurate success rate or failure rate for surgery. My figures are based on a 2 decade long compilation of information based on the limited studies that are out there plus conversations with scores of practitioners both podiatric and orthopedic.
I have not run into any practitioner, podiatric nor orthopedic who claims or can actually document a 90% success rate. I certainly am not saying that a 90% success rate is not achievable but I have yet to encounter a practitioner in my approximately 23.5 years of practice who has made that claim, let alone attempt to substantiate such figures. I think that the aftercare is a large factor in influencing the success rate since the procedure itself is technically very simple and would not expect a significant variance based on technique alone.
Dr. Ed
Posted by Ed Davis, DPM on 11/13/05 at 15:13
I will poll the docs here to see if they have numbers in terms of success/failure/complication rate on surgical plantar fascial release.
Dr. Wander, Dr. Zuckerman and all posters who would like to participate or volunteer estimates on success/failure/complication rates for plantar fascial release surgery. A response based on the best numbers that can be produced would be greatly appreciated. thank you in advance for you contribution.
Ed
Posted by Dr. Z on 11/13/05 at 15:55
It been a fairly long time since I did a pf release but my results were good. I received alot of referrals from the procedure from patients.I have a few very bad results from the procedure itself
Posted by Dr. David S. Wander on 11/14/05 at 14:09
Posted by Ed Davis, DPM on 11/15/05 at 21:47
Your success rate aside; if you looked at all the patients that you have encountered who have had plantar fascial release surgery (performed not by you), and perhaps all of the colleagues you have encountered who have discussed this subject with, what would you estimate the success rate in the general population to be?
Ed
Posted by Ann D on 3/18/06 at 14:14
Posted by dr.yasser halbob on 5/12/06 at 18:39
Posted by Jana on 6/02/06 at 19:21
-Jana
Posted by Jana on 6/02/06 at 19:40
Posted by Jana on 6/02/06 at 19:40
Posted by Jana on 6/02/06 at 19:53
Everyone just says "rest", but I have to go to work to make a living. No one says what to do post surgery to get better. My doctor was terrible, she didn't even issue me crutches and I live up 3 flights of stairs! I had to crawl up or down the stairs the first week after the surgery until I could learn to hop. The whole experience was from top to bottom.
I died in the hospital in a response to the anesthesia. I got pnemonia from the being on an air machine after the operation because of the anesthesia.
God knows I don't want to sue. I would love to just bury the whole experience and be able to walk, painlessly walk away from it all.
Please tell me there is hope. I don't want to think that my life is going to be over at 28, as far as career options, etc., because I made the very optimistic and very ill-informed choice to have this surgery.
Thank- J
Posted by Jana on 6/02/06 at 20:02
I am thrilled about the thought of paying the $3000 to get ESWT treatment, but will it help heal me since I think my surgery was not good-- to put it lightly.
I have foot pain which translates into knee pain, then hip pain for me. I just want to somehow be on the road to being better. Somebody please drop me a rope, shine a light, something. Tell me that I won't be stuck being powerless and disabled as a result of trying to make myself better.
-J
Posted by Jana on 6/02/06 at 20:17
And no, I never ever thought my Pod was being anything less than honest and forthright with me before the surgery. Talk about a wake-up call in understanding the nature of some people that walk around sporting their white coats and driving their fancy cars and calling themselves doctors!
It is so good to hear from someone who is having my experiences. But what I would love to hear more of, is how if people got better and what they had to do to get that way. I can't turn back time and undo the surgery (though God knows I would) so I just want to get better somehow. My foot = my freedom. That's priceless.
As much as I am anguished and traumatized at the thought of going to visit another podiatrist who will say 'nothing can be done beyond "rest" and more surgery', I will have to venture out there. I need the stories of hope. I need to feed my foot and and my leg with hope because this disabilty is just crushing.
-J
Posted by Becky on 7/10/08 at 09:38
Posted by john j on 7/22/08 at 19:10
Posted by Mary on 11/28/08 at 00:59
I went to the same type of woman podiatrist you went to. She pushed foot cyrosurgery before any conservative treatment. She checked out my insurance than billed terrible prices since insurance would pay. I never even saw her before or after the operation for Plantar faciitis. I continue to ice and exercise. She told me to go back to work immediately after first visit. I needed to rest in the beginning not much later when it became cronic. Many more or her patients were unhappy with her. I would go with orthopedic type doctor for bad foot problems. Podiatrists depend on sugeries to make money. Orthpedic doctors that are in a group get set prices. Never rush into surgery. I'm afraid to have the release. Good Luck, and don't do cyrosurgery.
Posted by terri c on 3/28/09 at 20:42
