Cryosurgery Tampa: Relief for Heel Pain, Plantar Fasciitis, Foot Pain and Morton's Neuroma

	How Cryosurgery Works Call Dr. Katz (813) 875-0555 Click here to schedule Appointment

Click now for Appointment

How it woks

The simplest way to describe what happens is to use the analogy of applying ice to an injury. One of the oldest treatments known to man is the application of ice to painful areas. This dates back to the time of Hippocrates who among his many accomplishments also wrote the first records detailing “ice therapy”.

The application of ice serves two purposes. First it reduces swelling and inflammation to the site at which it is applied and secondly, it causes a mild “numbing” effect for as long as it is applied. In fact applying ice is often still the first line of treatment for minor injuries. Athletes will often soak their elbows in ice baths or wrap their knees and shoulders in ice after games to help reduce swelling and muscle soreness.

Now think of how effective this “ice therapy” could be if the ice could be applied directly to the area of most pain (under the skin where the damaged tissue and inflammation exist) instead of just on the surface of the skin. In essence applying a concentrated ice pack directly to the damaged and inflamed tissues involved. Better yet, how about applying this ice pack directly on the nerves responsible for transmitting the sensation of pain? Would direct numbing of the nerve stop the sensation of pain? Yes it can, and that's how cryosurgery helps relieve pain.

Some History

Cryoanalgesia has been known to decrease pain and inflammation for centuries. Physicians, physical therapists and sports trainers have relied on ice therapy to address many musculoskeletal conditions and injuries in particular, during the early inflammatory phase. Not only do lowered temperatures result in vasoconstriction of blood vessels, thus reducing inflammation, but also create an anesthetic effect by altering nerve function. Historically, researchers performing cryosurgery observed that extreme freezing had an anesthetic effect beyond the temporary relief produced by simple cooling. Over the last thirty years, many modalities have been introduced to address chronic pain by surgeons, pain management specialists, and neurosurgeons. These techniques have had a common goal of producing prolonged nerve blocks to relieve intractable pain. Cryosurgery has been utilized to relieve trigeminal nerve pain, lumbosacral pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. Over the past 18 years, Andrea Trescot, MD has developed and refined techniques using Cryosurgery for foot, ankle and leg pain. She is one of the foremost authorities today on Cryosurgery. Dr. Katz has received training from Dr. Trescot and utilizes her techniques.