Joakim Noah Looking To Avoid Surgery

Joakim Noah tried rest (well, what he called rest- we saw him on the court a lot more than he probably

should have been) to calm his plantar fasciitis, but that didn't seem to work. 
With the Chicago Bulls now eliminated from the NBA playoffs, it's now a question if more rest and rehabilitation is what he needs. Should Noah have surgery for his plantar fasciitis?
According to the Chicago Sun Times, both Noah and the Bulls would prefer Noah avoid surgery. "That hasn't been determined," said head coach Tom Thibideau. "Obviously we'd like to avoid the surgery. He has responded a lot better. He has found something that has worked. We want him to get completely healthy. That will be the focus, getting him back to 100 percent. He needs some rest, as most of the guys do. Same thing with Luol Deng. We have to get him completely healthy again. Those are two players that we'll be on top of right away."
Surgery for plantar fasciitis is for the cases that are the worst of the worst. This is not a treatment course we recommend for the average case, as conservative treatment usually clears up the condition. If you visit a podiatrist and they recommend surgery as their first course of treatment, you need to get a second opinion. Most cases clear up with conservative treatment. 
Noah may indeed be one of those cases that truly needs surgery, but we have to wonder if he has dedicated enough time to resting and following conservative treatment. Now that he won't be pounding the floor several times a week, and wearing those horrid, unsupportive shoes he wears when playing, perhaps he has a chance of healing on his own. But what he needs to do is stay off the court, stretch, ice, find a better basketball shoe, and make getting better his priority. 
Reference: Slam Online
If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Joakim Noah To Return Tomorrow From Plantar Fasciitis

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah has missed the last few games because of plantar fasciitis.
Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago tweeted, "Noah has plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He had it in his left foot three years ago. He isn't sure when he'll return to the lineup."
Noah missed 18 games when his left foot was affected in 2009-10 and eventually had shockwave therapy to help him with the pain. "The one in 09-10, I just kept playing through it. I probably played with it for a month until I couldn't anymore. This time, I stopped a lot earlier. I probably played on it for five or six games. I just knew what direction it was going in. In 09-10, I just tried to act like it wasn't there and played through it. That was a mistake. With a couple more days of treatment I'm hoping to be OK," Noah said.
Noah was smart this time to stop soon after he started to feel pain. Too often this basketball season we've seen players be out just a few days, return to the game, then have to be out for several weeks because they didn't rest and rehabilitate properly.
Noah said on Monday that he was hoping to return by Thursday to play against the Denver Nuggets. "I'm moving in the right direction. Give it a couple more days and try to go on Thursday," Noah said.
The center said he got some shots on the Bulls' day off on Sunday but did no running or jumping. He is resting the injury and treating it with ice and laser treatments (stretching!). "You definitely learn from your experiences," Noah said. "I've been through this before. I know what to expect. I've gotten all these treatments before. I'm hoping with a couple more days rest I'll be back at 100 percent and I won't have to deal with this anymore."
Noah has missed just one game so far this season. He is averaging 12.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game, all of which are career highs. He is also averaging 38 minutes per game, 10 minutes higher than last year, which could be a contributing factor to the heel pain. Noah was also selected as a reserve for the NBA All-Star game on February 17th.
However, his production since his injury has declined. Noah shot just 42 percent during the month of January and his scoring was down, even though his rebounding was up.

If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and friend or like our page on Facebook.

 Related articles

• Knicks' Marcus Camby Suffering With Plantar Fasciitis
• Lakers' Gasol Diagnosed With Plantar Fasciitis
• Derrick Favors Suffering From Plantar Fasciitis
• 5 Sports Massage Exercises for Plantar Fasciitis