Ice, or cold packs, are frequently used to provide pain relief for various injuries and conditions. Cryotherapy takes this well-known treatment to the next level by directing freezing cold temperatures at the source of your pain. Vito La Puma, DPM, and the experienced team at Healthy Step Podiatry, with an office located in Midtown East and the Financial District of New York City, offers cryotherapy to treat a number of conditions that affect the foot and ankle. To learn more about cryotherapy and how it can help your foot or ankle condition, call the office today or request an appointment online.
What is cryotherapy?
Cryotherapy is an advanced medical technique that applies freezing cold temperatures directly to the damaged tissue and inflammation under your skin without affecting the surface. Even better, the specialists at Healthy Step Podiatry can target treatment directly at the nerve endings responsible for your discomfort to stop the transmission of the pain signals for immediate pain relief using cryosurgery.
What conditions can cryotherapy treat?
The foot and ankle specialists at Healthy Step Podiatry use cryotherapy to treat a number of common conditions. These conditions include:
- Neuromas and Morton’s neuromas
- Heel spur syndrome
- Plantar fasciitis
- Osteoarthritis
- Nerve entrapment, including tarsal tunnel syndrome
- Soft tissue tumors
Your specialist may also use liquid nitrogen, which is a slightly different form of cryotherapy, to treat plantar warts.
Your specialist at Healthy Step Podiatry can determine if cryotherapy would be a good choice for you after a comprehensive evaluation, review of your medical history, and discussion of your symptoms.
What are the benefits of cryotherapy?
In addition to helping you get relief from your pain, cryotherapy is a minimally invasive procedure, which means minimal downtime and a faster recovery. Other benefits of cryotherapy include:
- Long-term pain relief
- The quick, in-office procedure
- Reduced risk of complications
- Little discomfort
And because it’s minimally invasive, you can go back to wearing your fashionable shoes and sandals in no time. The procedure can also be repeated if you experience a return of your symptoms.
What can I expect during treatment with cryotherapy?
Your cryotherapy surgery is conducted at the office and takes only about 15 minutes. Before your specialist begins, they inject the treatment area with a local anesthetic to minimize discomfort. Then, your specialist makes a tiny puncture through your skin and inserts the freezing mechanism through a special probe into the puncture wound.
Your treatment area is then set on a 3-minute freezing cycle, then a 30-second defrost, followed by another 3 minutes of freezing. Your specialist then withdraws probe from your treatment area, applies an antibiotic cream, and dresses your tiny puncture with a sterile bandage.
Your specialist provides guidelines on how to care for your tiny puncture when you get home, but they may advise you to take it easy for a day or two. You should experience an immediate reduction in your pain after treatment.
Cryotherapy is an advanced pain management technique. For relief from your foot or ankle pain, call Healthy Step Podiatry today or request an appointment online.