Mike Napoli appeared in the Red Sox's lineup on Saturday for the first time in more than a week after
getting a cortisone shot in his foot to alleviate the pain from the plantar fasciitis he's been suffering from. Napoli had three hits, including a RBI single in the first inning.
"I got to play a couple of innings here and there the past week, and it felt alright," Napoli said. "The reason why I got the injection was because I was at a point where it was bothering me pretty good. I'm going to go into treatment for every day, like I've been, and try to take care of it as best as I possibly can.
"I'm just going to have to grind through it and play through some pain- which I have been already."
Los Angeles Anaheim star Albert Pujols recently called it quits for the season because of his ongoing plantar fasciitis, hoping it will have healed by spring training next year.
"Everyone is different," Napoli said. "Everyone can handle things differently. I don't know what was going on in his situation. Only time will tell. We'll see what happens. I'm going to try to stay out on the field and deal with it as much as possible."
"I don't feel it one bit hitting," the Red Sox first baseman said. "That has nothing to do with anything. Running is definitely the worst part of it- sometimes in the field, going to first base."
Like Pujols, Napoli's production has seen a slump as well. He's hitting a paltry .232 with a .339 on-base percentage and .338 slugging percentage since May 10, and he's struck out 112 times in the last 322 plate appearances. And his numbers are worse since the All-Star break: Napoli is hitting .189 with a .305 on-base percentage and .389 slugging percentage.
The team is hoping the cortisone shot and a week off his feet will help Napoli get back to normal.
"The foot issue has calmed down enough to feel like he's confident not only in the box but defensively," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "What we've seen is that when Mike has been compact with his swing at the plate, that's when he's driven balls. The swing hasn't gotten long. He's had a bit more swing and miss at those times."
Reference: Providence Journal
If you have heel pain, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow our tweets on Twitter.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
What Is Astym Therapy?
Astym treatment, or therapy, is a physical therapy treatment that eliminates and reduces scar tissue that may
be causing discomfort or pain. It regenerates healthy soft tissues like muscles, tendons.
This treatment is used for restoring movement and reducing pain from soft tissue injuries or dysfunction and is sometimes used when all other treatment options have failed. Astym therapy was designed to target the underlying causes of soft tissue problems, rather than just treat the symptoms.
Astym therapy has proven effective in many cases of plantar fasciitis. In diagnosis trials, 1,131 patients with plantar fasciitis were studied using the Astym therapy. 92% of patients showed marked improvement after the treatment, while 7.6% showed no improvement at all. .4% patients exhibited worse symptoms
The treatment is non-invasive, with no injections or incisions. The instruments used in the therapies are applied topically to locate unhealthy or diseased tissues and to transfer mild to moderate pressure to the underlying soft tissue structures. This treatment encourages tissue turnover, scar tissue resorption, and the regeneration of tendons, muscles, and other soft tissue structures.
Astym treatment is done twice weekly for four to five weeks, depending on the severity of your plantar fasciitis (roughly nine treatments), and is done in conjunction with physical therapy exercises like eccentric loading, stretching, and functional exercises. This option encourages patients to remain active, continue working, and athletes to continue training and playing while they receive treatment. The Astym treatment claims to make the tissues affected stronger and allows a patient's body to become used to greater stress without injury.
Astym therapy is used in physical therapy clinics, hospitals, and industrial rehabilitation centers. It is not a treatment option we provide for our patients in our six offices, however.
Reference: Astym.Com
If you have heel pain, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow our tweets on Twitter.
This treatment is used for restoring movement and reducing pain from soft tissue injuries or dysfunction and is sometimes used when all other treatment options have failed. Astym therapy was designed to target the underlying causes of soft tissue problems, rather than just treat the symptoms.
Astym therapy has proven effective in many cases of plantar fasciitis. In diagnosis trials, 1,131 patients with plantar fasciitis were studied using the Astym therapy. 92% of patients showed marked improvement after the treatment, while 7.6% showed no improvement at all. .4% patients exhibited worse symptoms
The treatment is non-invasive, with no injections or incisions. The instruments used in the therapies are applied topically to locate unhealthy or diseased tissues and to transfer mild to moderate pressure to the underlying soft tissue structures. This treatment encourages tissue turnover, scar tissue resorption, and the regeneration of tendons, muscles, and other soft tissue structures.
Astym treatment is done twice weekly for four to five weeks, depending on the severity of your plantar fasciitis (roughly nine treatments), and is done in conjunction with physical therapy exercises like eccentric loading, stretching, and functional exercises. This option encourages patients to remain active, continue working, and athletes to continue training and playing while they receive treatment. The Astym treatment claims to make the tissues affected stronger and allows a patient's body to become used to greater stress without injury.
Astym therapy is used in physical therapy clinics, hospitals, and industrial rehabilitation centers. It is not a treatment option we provide for our patients in our six offices, however.
Reference: Astym.Com
If you have heel pain, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow our tweets on Twitter.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Jerry Seinfeld Has No Jokes About Heel Pain
This past April comedian Jerry Seinfeld visited the New York College of Podiatric Medicine to thank
APMA member Dr. Joseph D'Amico for ending his 30 year struggle with heel pain. Can you imagine spending 30 years of your life suffering with something as debilitating as heel pain?
Dr. D'Amico performed a biomechanical exam along with a computer-assisted gait analysis to treat Seinfeld's long-term heel pain. Dr. D'Amico is the former chair of the orthopedics department at the school and a longtime instructor and succeeded in determining the biomechanical problems of Seinfeld's feet where other medical professionals had failed.
Seinfeld recalled how difficult it was for him to watch reruns of Seinfeld because of how much pain he was in during the filming of the show. With regards to the show, Seinfeld commented, "I have a hard time watching reruns because I see the shoes on my feet and remember how painful that experience was."
Seinfeld was so appreciative of the medical care he received from Dr. D'Amico he made a donation to the Gait Laboratory of Biomechanical Research at NYCPM as well as a donation to fully fund the Richard O. Schuster Memorial biomechanics seminar.
If you have heel pain, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow our tweets on Twitter.
Dr. D'Amico performed a biomechanical exam along with a computer-assisted gait analysis to treat Seinfeld's long-term heel pain. Dr. D'Amico is the former chair of the orthopedics department at the school and a longtime instructor and succeeded in determining the biomechanical problems of Seinfeld's feet where other medical professionals had failed.
Seinfeld recalled how difficult it was for him to watch reruns of Seinfeld because of how much pain he was in during the filming of the show. With regards to the show, Seinfeld commented, "I have a hard time watching reruns because I see the shoes on my feet and remember how painful that experience was."
Seinfeld was so appreciative of the medical care he received from Dr. D'Amico he made a donation to the Gait Laboratory of Biomechanical Research at NYCPM as well as a donation to fully fund the Richard O. Schuster Memorial biomechanics seminar.
If you have heel pain, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow our tweets on Twitter.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Kelly Olynyk Out Of Canadian National Team
Plantar fasciitis has been beyond pesky for athletes lately.
Boston Celtics rookie 7-footer Kelly Olynyk was not be able to compete for a spot on the Canadian
national team because of plantar fasciitis.
"Nothing too serious, but he just needs to rest and recover," said a source close to the Canadian national team.
Olynyk missed last week's senior men's national team training camp session because of the condition, which prepares the players for the world championship qualification tournament starting on August 30th. The team announced their list of 18 players who were set to play at the camp, and Olynyk was not on the list. Olynyk grew up in Toronto and has been a part of the Canadian national team in the past.
"He's so keen about wanting to play, but the Celtics had some concerns," said national team head coach Jay Triano.
The Celtics traded up to the No. 13 overall pick to draft Olynyk, who has been a top performer in the five games at the Orlando Summer League, averaging a team-high 18 points and 7.8 rebounds in 24.3 minutes. He was voted to the league's first team.
Boston fans are excited about his potential, but Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has said that he sees Olynyk weighing 260 pounds- 20 more than he does now- as a power forward who can play center occasionally.
"I don't see Kelly as a go-to-guy in the NBA," Ainge said on the day Olynyk was introduced to the media, "but a guy that complements the rest of the guys on the team and makes them all better."
Olynyk, a former Gonzaga star is smart to rest his injury so he will have plenty of time to recuperate before the star of the NBA season.
Reference: Boston Globe and SB Nation.
If you have heel pain, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow our tweets on Twitter.
Boston Celtics rookie 7-footer Kelly Olynyk was not be able to compete for a spot on the Canadian
"Nothing too serious, but he just needs to rest and recover," said a source close to the Canadian national team.
Olynyk missed last week's senior men's national team training camp session because of the condition, which prepares the players for the world championship qualification tournament starting on August 30th. The team announced their list of 18 players who were set to play at the camp, and Olynyk was not on the list. Olynyk grew up in Toronto and has been a part of the Canadian national team in the past.
"He's so keen about wanting to play, but the Celtics had some concerns," said national team head coach Jay Triano.
The Celtics traded up to the No. 13 overall pick to draft Olynyk, who has been a top performer in the five games at the Orlando Summer League, averaging a team-high 18 points and 7.8 rebounds in 24.3 minutes. He was voted to the league's first team.
Boston fans are excited about his potential, but Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has said that he sees Olynyk weighing 260 pounds- 20 more than he does now- as a power forward who can play center occasionally.
"I don't see Kelly as a go-to-guy in the NBA," Ainge said on the day Olynyk was introduced to the media, "but a guy that complements the rest of the guys on the team and makes them all better."
Olynyk, a former Gonzaga star is smart to rest his injury so he will have plenty of time to recuperate before the star of the NBA season.
Reference: Boston Globe and SB Nation.
If you have heel pain, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow our tweets on Twitter.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
The Pujols Tale Continues
Really, we feel badly when we have to blog multiple times about one athlete. What that means is their foot or ankle condition has not gotten any better and has typically worsen to the "no looking back" stage.
I blogged just two weeks ago about Albert Pujols and how he was considering having surgery on his plantar fasciitis once the season was done. However, it looks like Pujols won't have to wait until the end of the season to get that surgery done on his plantar fascia.
The Los Angeles Angels announced Sunday via Twitter that Pujols was being placed on the 15-day disabled
list: "Today the club placed A. Pujols on the 15-day DL (retro to 7/27) with a partial tear of the left plantar fascia."
Rut roh. According to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, manager Mike Scioscia believes Pujols will miss a substantial amount of time: "Angels MGR Mike Scioscia said DH Albert Pujols will be out "for a significant amount of time."
So how long? Well, Yahoo! sports writer Tim Brown believes the 33 year old will likely be out the rest of the season, tweeting, "Source: Pujols has been told he's likely done for the season. Surgery possible, but undetermined."
How long do we think, since we're experts on plantar fascia tears? Likely the rest of the season, as Brown has reported. Even two months rest would bring him into October and the postseason, and at that point, he might as well stay out the rest of the season.
Pujols has been dealing with plantar fasciitis on and off for close to ten seasons, but this is the worst it has ever been. He had been hopeful the four day break for the All-Star game would give it some time to rest, and he had been hitting well since the return- 11-for-29- but his pain is no better.
"It's been the same," Pujols said in Spanish. "I still feel some pain. I still feel it bothering me a bit. That's something that in the offseason, with time and rest, hopefully the pain can go away."
In the past Pujols has been able to deal with the pain, but this season the pain hasn't gone away and all of those years playing through the pain have caught up with him.
"That's how it is when you've been playing with something nine years," he said. "That's what the doctor told me. He said, 'Look, you've been nine or 10 years playing with this and it gets worse.' It's like if you have an injury in your arm and you keep throwing. What do you think? It's a long year, and it's going to catch up to you. That's what happened."
It looked like he aggravated the injury on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics, which could explain the partial tear he now has in his plantar fascia.
Compared to years past, Pujols is putting up low- to average numbers, hitting just .258 with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs. Certainly not terrible numbers, but nothing compared to what he used to put up in the past. Pujols' struggles are reflected in the performance of the team, which is currently 12 games back in the American League West and 8.5 games back in the wild-care race.
If you've been following sports at all this year, you know how bad a plantar fascia tear can be. Los Angeles Lakers player Pau Gasol was out a couple of months while his plantar tear repaired and we've seen several other professional athletes fall victim to the curse. The moral of the story is to rest, rest, rest. Playing through an injury does not make you look like a tough guy, or even a team player. Where will your team be when you're out for multiple months, or even a full season? You'll be in a similar situation as the Angels are in right now.
Reference: Bleacher Report and MLB
If you have heel pain, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow our tweets on Twitter.
I blogged just two weeks ago about Albert Pujols and how he was considering having surgery on his plantar fasciitis once the season was done. However, it looks like Pujols won't have to wait until the end of the season to get that surgery done on his plantar fascia.
The Los Angeles Angels announced Sunday via Twitter that Pujols was being placed on the 15-day disabled
Rut roh. According to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, manager Mike Scioscia believes Pujols will miss a substantial amount of time: "Angels MGR Mike Scioscia said DH Albert Pujols will be out "for a significant amount of time."
So how long? Well, Yahoo! sports writer Tim Brown believes the 33 year old will likely be out the rest of the season, tweeting, "Source: Pujols has been told he's likely done for the season. Surgery possible, but undetermined."
How long do we think, since we're experts on plantar fascia tears? Likely the rest of the season, as Brown has reported. Even two months rest would bring him into October and the postseason, and at that point, he might as well stay out the rest of the season.
Pujols has been dealing with plantar fasciitis on and off for close to ten seasons, but this is the worst it has ever been. He had been hopeful the four day break for the All-Star game would give it some time to rest, and he had been hitting well since the return- 11-for-29- but his pain is no better.
"It's been the same," Pujols said in Spanish. "I still feel some pain. I still feel it bothering me a bit. That's something that in the offseason, with time and rest, hopefully the pain can go away."
In the past Pujols has been able to deal with the pain, but this season the pain hasn't gone away and all of those years playing through the pain have caught up with him.
"That's how it is when you've been playing with something nine years," he said. "That's what the doctor told me. He said, 'Look, you've been nine or 10 years playing with this and it gets worse.' It's like if you have an injury in your arm and you keep throwing. What do you think? It's a long year, and it's going to catch up to you. That's what happened."
It looked like he aggravated the injury on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics, which could explain the partial tear he now has in his plantar fascia.
Compared to years past, Pujols is putting up low- to average numbers, hitting just .258 with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs. Certainly not terrible numbers, but nothing compared to what he used to put up in the past. Pujols' struggles are reflected in the performance of the team, which is currently 12 games back in the American League West and 8.5 games back in the wild-care race.
If you've been following sports at all this year, you know how bad a plantar fascia tear can be. Los Angeles Lakers player Pau Gasol was out a couple of months while his plantar tear repaired and we've seen several other professional athletes fall victim to the curse. The moral of the story is to rest, rest, rest. Playing through an injury does not make you look like a tough guy, or even a team player. Where will your team be when you're out for multiple months, or even a full season? You'll be in a similar situation as the Angels are in right now.
Reference: Bleacher Report and MLB
If you have heel pain, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow our tweets on Twitter.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Bears' McClellin Says Plantar Fasciitis Gone
Chicago Bears defensive end Shea McClellin wants to make it clear the plantar fasciitis in his right foot
he suffered with at the end of last season is gone.
"It started in February," McClellin said during one of the first days of mini-camp last month. "I went in right away to see what it was and just got treatment, and it hasn't affected anything. So I'm good."
McClellin reportedly received Astym treatment, which stimulates the body's healing response. The result is the remodeling of scar tissue and regeneration of degenerated tendons. It's a non-invasive procedure and also involves physical therapy with an acrylic stone.
McClellin was a Bears first round pick in 2012 and stressed that he was not affected by plantar fasciitis during his rookie season and it has not been a significant issue during the offseason.
"I haven't missed anything, so it hasn't been affecting me at all," McClellin reiterated.
When asked if he would pay any attention to his foot in the future, McClellin replied, "No, I don't think so."
We'll have to argue a bit with McClellin's rather flippant reply to that question and point out the case of Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson, who suffered from problems with his heels for year and finally retired this year because of it. Heel pain and plantar fasciitis are not conditions to ignore or brush under the carpet. Baseball player Albert Pujols has been dealing with plantar fasciitis for seven seasons and is considering surgery, usually a last resort, to ease his pain.
McClellin was also asked if his pain was completely gone, and he replied, "Nothing right now. I feel good."
When the pain first appeared for McClellin he described it as "needles in the bottom of your foot." Now he says he has "no worries" going forward.
McClellin also dealt with a knee injury and concussion in his rookie season, finishing with 2.5 sacks, seven tackles, and two tackles for loss in limited playing time in 14 games.
As long as McClellin is feeling healthy, expect to see a lot more of him this season. New Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker will be more creative with McClellin in blitz and nickel packages.
Reference: Sun Times
If you have heel pain, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow our tweets on Twitter.
"It started in February," McClellin said during one of the first days of mini-camp last month. "I went in right away to see what it was and just got treatment, and it hasn't affected anything. So I'm good."
McClellin reportedly received Astym treatment, which stimulates the body's healing response. The result is the remodeling of scar tissue and regeneration of degenerated tendons. It's a non-invasive procedure and also involves physical therapy with an acrylic stone.
McClellin was a Bears first round pick in 2012 and stressed that he was not affected by plantar fasciitis during his rookie season and it has not been a significant issue during the offseason.
"I haven't missed anything, so it hasn't been affecting me at all," McClellin reiterated.
When asked if he would pay any attention to his foot in the future, McClellin replied, "No, I don't think so."
We'll have to argue a bit with McClellin's rather flippant reply to that question and point out the case of Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson, who suffered from problems with his heels for year and finally retired this year because of it. Heel pain and plantar fasciitis are not conditions to ignore or brush under the carpet. Baseball player Albert Pujols has been dealing with plantar fasciitis for seven seasons and is considering surgery, usually a last resort, to ease his pain.
McClellin was also asked if his pain was completely gone, and he replied, "Nothing right now. I feel good."
When the pain first appeared for McClellin he described it as "needles in the bottom of your foot." Now he says he has "no worries" going forward.
McClellin also dealt with a knee injury and concussion in his rookie season, finishing with 2.5 sacks, seven tackles, and two tackles for loss in limited playing time in 14 games.
As long as McClellin is feeling healthy, expect to see a lot more of him this season. New Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker will be more creative with McClellin in blitz and nickel packages.
Reference: Sun Times
If you have heel pain, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Newington
Visit our website, like our page on Facebook, and follow our tweets on Twitter.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Albert Pujols Thinking About Surgery For Plantar Fasciitis
Albert Pujols has had enough with his plantar fasciitis. Any fan watching an Angels game can clearly tell that Pujols is in terrible pain, especially when he's trying to run the bases.
Pujols is batting .244 with 13 home runs, 49 RBIs, and a .736 OPS in 83 games this season and is nowhere near the production he has provided in the last ten years. This the worst he has played in his career.
While suffering from his latest bout of plantar fasciitis, he has played designated hitter in 52 games. His usual position, first base, has seen the likes of him just 31 times.
Several weeks ago Pujols told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times that, "When we get to that point, we'll talk about it. I'm definitely going to try to do something after the season to help me out and not play in that pain I've been playing in. There's no doubt I'll be a full-time first baseman next year."
What Pujols needs, at this point, is to be on the DL for a lengthy period of time to rest the inflammation he's experiencing in his foot. It's admirable that the Angels player wants to continue playing, but he's playing worse now at DH than he was at first base. Comments from fans have included that "my grandfather runs better than Pujols" and "there's a difference between being admirable and idiotic [and] Albert is being idiotic at this point." Even the fans, who always want to see their star player at their best and on the field, recognize that Pujols needs to take a break in order to get back to his All-Star form.
Reference: NBC Sports
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.
While suffering from his latest bout of plantar fasciitis, he has played designated hitter in 52 games. His usual position, first base, has seen the likes of him just 31 times.
Several weeks ago Pujols told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times that, "When we get to that point, we'll talk about it. I'm definitely going to try to do something after the season to help me out and not play in that pain I've been playing in. There's no doubt I'll be a full-time first baseman next year."
What Pujols needs, at this point, is to be on the DL for a lengthy period of time to rest the inflammation he's experiencing in his foot. It's admirable that the Angels player wants to continue playing, but he's playing worse now at DH than he was at first base. Comments from fans have included that "my grandfather runs better than Pujols" and "there's a difference between being admirable and idiotic [and] Albert is being idiotic at this point." Even the fans, who always want to see their star player at their best and on the field, recognize that Pujols needs to take a break in order to get back to his All-Star form.
Reference: NBC Sports
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.
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