At 50, Bill Moody has the activity level of someone many years his junior.

“I coach lacrosse, mountain bike, and I’ve raced off-road motorcycles for many years,” he lists. “I just turned fifty and I still do that.”

Recently, however, a problem with his right foot was slowing Bill down.

“I had a bone spur in my heel that had been bothering me about a year and a half,” he recalls. “It got to where I could barely ride the bike or the motorcycle. There was a period of about a year where I wasn’t able to exercise, and when you’re my age, you’ve got to exercise or you deteriorate quickly.”

Plantar fasciitis

Fortunately, Bill consulted board-certified podiatrist Keith J. Kalish, DPM.

Dr. Kalish is one of a select group of podiatric surgeons who hold dual certifications from the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and the American Board of Podiatric Orthopedics. He explains that in his practice, he offers comprehensive treatment for podiatric problems.

“We treat all painful conditions,” he says, “from plantar fasciitis to bunions, hammertoes, heel spurs, neuromas, diabetic wounds, and skin, bone, and muscle problems.”

In Bill’s case, Dr. Kalish recommended conservative care to alleviate his heel pain.

“Everyone has conservative treatment before we consider a surgical solution,” emphasizes the doctor. “In fact, patients with heel pain from plantar fasciitis almost always do well with conservative treatments, such as applying ice to the area, anti-inflammatory medications, stretching, changes in shoe gear, orthotic arch supports, and in some cases, physical therapy.”

A small group of patients, however, are best served by surgical intervention, and Bill was one such example.

“There are patients who continue to have pain no matter what we do,” explains Dr. Kalish, “and in those cases we perform an outpatient procedure under local anesthesia that has a very high success rate. We have perfected it over the years.”

Although a combination of plantar fasciitis and heel spur might sound like it involves a complex surgery, Dr. Kalish assures that nothing could be further from the truth.

“When patients see a heel spur on their x-ray, I tell them, Don’t get hung up on that heel spur . That’s not what creates most of the pain with these conditions. It’s really the plantar fascial ligament pulling on the heel.”

Through a small incision in the side of the heel, the skilled surgeon releases the ligament where it inserts into the heel, then removes the bone spur. Patients can anticipate a return to all normal daily activities within just a few weeks from surgery.

“Absolutely no pain”

“Everything Dr. Kalish said was going to happen, happened exactly the way he said it would,” marvels Bill. “My hat is off to Dr. Kalish.”

In fact, his return to his active lifestyle has been nothing short of remarkable.

“Since the surgery, I’m back on the mountain bike and the dirt bike, and I actually ran my first 5K,” he reports. “I can do anything I want to do with absolutely no pain.”

Bill adds that he appreciates Dr. Kalish both for listening to his concerns and for providing the ideal solution.

“Dr. Kalish is top-flight, and he’s got a talent for conveying medical issues in common-sense language, which is the thing I like about him the most,” says Bill. “I would never go anywhere else.”

FHCN – Michael J. Sahno