Tag: surgery

Many persons who experience heel pain  think that it is something minor and will decrease with rest and becoming less active. Nevertheless, in some instances the heel pain is a warning signal from the body that it is injured. Abnormal foot issues such as foot overpronation or flat foot can lead to more severe conditions such as plantar fascitis. This often disabling pain in the heel area of the foot can be treated in a operating room as an outpatient.

Effective Plantar Fasciitis Treatment Is Readily Available

As reported by the American Podiatric Medical Association, plantar fasciitis can be caused by congenital malformations and step patterns. This can include overpronation and flat feet, for example.  When the lower body biomechanics are out of line with the entire body, undue stress and pressure are put on foot structures that are not meant to take those pressures. One manifestation of this, jumping or even being overweight can all be contributing causes for heel pain.

Treatment For Plantar Fasciitis Can Be a Welcomed Relief

A surgical procedure called Instep Plantar Fasciotomy  (IPF) is one plantar fasciitis treatment that is done under ankle block anesthesia (patient is awake but the foot is numbed). The plantar fascia is a ligament of tissue responsible for the extreme pain caused by this condition. The surgeon opens the heel through a small incision made above the affected area of the heel. The swollen region and damaged tissue is extracted from the inflamed heel tissues. Once the incision is sutured, a walking boot is prescribed for use for about 4-6 weeks, depending upon the healing time for the patient.

Over-Pronation and Flat Feet Also Result in a Non-Surgical Flat Foot

A type of cutting edge technology being used today to heal foot conditions is with waves of low level sound. Known as extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), this solution aims to use low-dose sound waves to destruct the affected tissues in the heel. It sounds illogical, but it isn’t. The injuring of these tissues in tiny amounts actually starts the body’s healing response and heals the foot condition. In a study done in 2004, it took nearly 1000 study participants about 8 weeks to heal completely with about eighty-five percent success.

Cut Healing Time Dramatically with this Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

Finally, endoscopic plantar fascia removals are becoming more commonly used because of their short healing duration. In this surgical solution, the foot is numbed with an ankle block while the patient is conscious. Given that some surgeons may prefer to put the patient under, that is also a valid way to perform the operation with less stress to the individual. Small slits are made in the lateral and anterior angles of the heel to access the affected areas.  A camera is used to assist the surgeon to identify the plantar fascia ligament. The surgeon sews the incision closed once the problem tissues have been identified and fixed.

Overpronation and Flat Feet Don’t Have to Hurt as Much

Although surgical intervention is only necessary in under 10% of the cases of heel pain from plantar fasciitis, it’s advisable to be alert about the procedures that doctors are using today. Occupational and physical therapies are the best things people can do after undergoing any of these procedures. Massages, exercises, and whirlpool therapy are just some of the many methods that can assist. For persons with walking gait deformities and biomechanics issues such as foot overpronation or flat feet, orthotic inserts are one of the best ways to avoid reappearance of plantar fasciitis.

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If you’re of a certain age, it’s likely that you or someone you know has needed to have a joint replaced. As American’s life longer, it becomes a much more common procedure that allows us to lead the active, healthy lives that we want to, even as our natural joints wear out, which can cause pain and disability. One of the most common joints that must be replaced is the hip joint.

This means that in many instances, they are beginning to wear before we do! When this occurs, many patients turn to joint replacements, such as hip replacement. This allows for the enjoyment of the active lifestyle we’re used to, with natural movement. If you have had a hip replacement, or know someone who has, keep reading to find out about a Zimmer hip implant recall.

As we get older, our bodies of course don’t work the way that they used to. What used to be an easy task becomes a difficult one, and we feel more pain than we used to. But for some older Americans, this pain becomes debilitating, especially around their hips. This means that normal activities such as walking can be unbearably painful. It is for these people that Zimmer hip implants were targeted. By replacing their old, worn joint, the pain can be lessened considerably, or even ended, and they can get back to their normal, active lives.

Hip replacements have revolutionized the way that many Americans live their daily lives, and has allowed a great number to do so without pain. But because they are a mechanical replacement, they are known to fail, often within ten years. This means that at an even older age, a patient must go through another replacement surgery. The Zimmer hip implant was designed to change that. It was targeted at younger patients as a way to get the benefits of a hip replacement, but with a long lasting implant that would not need to be replaced, so that they could avoid further surgery.

Unfortunately, the claim that the Zimmer hip implant is long lasting have not held true. In fact, at one test clinic, the implants failed in 12 percent of patients within the first two years. This is an astounding failure rate, and much worse than that of conventional replacements. It also means that for a young patient, given this implant with the promise of less likely future surgery, they in fact faced immediate further surgery, with the prospect of even more in the future!

Zimmer holdings has released a recall of their Zimmer Durom cup hip implant.  There are Zimmer hip lawsuits pending in multiple states across the US.  If you or a loved on has been subject to a Zimmer Durom implant, then you may want to contact a Zimmer Hip Lawyer to see if you have a case.

When contacted, the Zimmer Durom Company denied that their hip implant is prone to failure. However, in their internal testing, seven percent of patients replacement’s failed within the first two years. This is a high failure rate, and was high enough that the company pulled the product in July 2008. If you have had a hip replacement, contact your doctor to ask if it was a Zimmer hip implant, because you may have the right to sue Zimmer Durom.

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Hip Recall Puts Thousands at Risk

If you’re over the age of 60, it’s very likely that either you or someone you love has had a hip replacement. These operations, around for almost 40 years, have become increasingly more common as seniors live longer, and want to live healthy and active lives.

As we age, our hip joints often wear out. In the past, this has led to pain and inactivity, especially among younger sufferers. Hip replacements help, but need to be replaced themselves every ten years. The Zimmer hip implant was supposed to change all that, not needing to be replaced. Unfortunately, this claim has not held up. Because of this, there is a large and far reaching hip recall.

For some older Americans, a hip replacement, like those which are a part of the hip recall, can be the perfect solution to their pain and mobility issues. As we get older, body parts that have served us faithfully begin to wear and break down from use. For many, this leads to pain that is manageable. But for some, the pain can be unbearable. Why is this an issue? Because in the last fifty years, Americans have made incredible gains in their lifespan. Because of this, parts of our body that worked great for sixty years are being pushed far beyond that point.

The hip recall is being caused by a device, manufactured by the Zimmer Durom company, that does not work in the way that it was promised. The Zimmer device was marketed to those needing a hip replacement at a younger age than is standard, in their late 50’s or early 60’s. With a traditional hip replacement, the device must be replaced every ten years, on average. For a younger patient, this can mean several difficult follow up surgeries. This device was therefore marketed with the promise that it would last a lifetime, without the need for replacement.

Zimmer holdings has released a recall of their Zimmer Durom cup hip implant.  There are Zimmer hip lawsuits pending in multiple states across the US.  If you or a loved on has been subject to a Zimmer Durom implant, then you may want to contact a Zimmer Hip Lawyer to see if you have a case.

 

These claims were actually false. At a clinic where many of the devices were installed, a doctor noted that twelve percent of patients who received the Zimmer Durom implant needed to have them surgically replaced within two years. This number is much higher than it should be given their claims of longevity, and it much higher than that of even a traditional implant. The discrepancy led to calls for a hip recall. Zimmer Durom claimed that the high failure rates at the clinic were caused by doctor error, but in fact, in their own internal study, seven percent of the devices failed within two years. Because of this high number, the company pulled the hip replacement device in July 2008.

If you or someone you know received a hip replacement before July 2008, contact your doctor immediately to ensure that it is not a part of the hip recall. If it is, consult with your doctor about your health, and the longevity of your hip replacement, immediately. Even if the replacement does not need to be removed immediately, you may also qualify to take part in a class action lawsuit against Zimmer Durom.

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As we age, our bodies don’t operate the way that they used to. Every day it’s just a little harder to get out of bed, and there are new aches and pains to behold. But for some of us, the pain is deeper than that. Joint pain and deterioration can be debilitating to the point that it robs us of our ability to walk and care for ourselves. As we live longer and more active lives, joints which weren’t meant to take 60 or 70 years of heavy use start to wear out.

If you’ve ever had joint pain bad enough for the need or a replacement, you know how difficult it can be to have so much pain that even walking within your own home can become impossible. This is why artificial replacements for knee and hip joints were invented. If you have had a hip replaced, keep reading for more information on the Durom implant recall.

Zimmer holdings has released a recall of their Zimmer Durom cup hip implant.  There are Zimmer hip lawsuits pending in multiple states across the US.  If you or a loved on has been subject to a Zimmer Durom implant, then you may want to contact a Zimmer Hip Lawyer to see if you have a case.

When you have led an active lifestyle, at a certain point, your joints stop working correctly. As we have made advances in health and technology that have led to longer and longer life spans, we are beginning to see the limit on how long natural human body parts can last. One of the first parts of a body to fail under the stress of a longer and more active life style is the hip joint. If you are in your 70’s, a hip replacement can be a great way to get more years of activity. But because hip replacements often fail within 10 years, someone who is in their 50’s and 60’s faces one or more further surgeries to replace their replacement. This is why the Durom implant was invented.

The need for replacement of the first hip replacement was the reasoning behind the Durom implant, and how it was marketed to doctors. While a standard hip replacement will begin to wear and need to be replaced within ten years, the Durom implant was supposedly designed with the younger patient in mind to be long lasting even under an active lifestyle. This would mean that instead of facing the prospect of two or more surgeries related to their hip, a younger patient could have only one replacement surgery, and use the same hip replacement implant for life. As a younger patient, this was sure to sound like the ideal solution.

This promise unfortunately did not hold true, however. In one clinic where the Durom implants were tested, twelve percent of patients needed to have their replacements replaced within two years. This is an amazingly high failure rate that is much worse than that of a standard hip replacement, and is no where near the claim that the Zimmer Durom company had made. The company claimed that this high failure rate was due to surgeon error, but in their own testing, under ideal conditions, the replacement rate within two years was seven percent, which is unacceptably high.

Because of the high failure rate of the Durom implant, a class action law suit is being considered for those with failed implants, or for those who have this type of implant which has not yet failed. If you or a loved one has received a hip implant before July 2008, contact your doctor.

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