health pros Fat Pad Restoration

Dr. Richard Benjamin of The Foot and Ankle Center can get you on your feet again!

Can’t find the source of your foot pain?

Nothing can slow you down like foot pain. And nothing can cause foot pain like “fat pad atrophy.” Many people have never heard of fat pad atrophy, but it is becoming an increasing problem as our aging generation’s “Golden Years” become more and more active.

What is fat pad atrophy?

The bottom of the foot has several “pads” of fat that act as shock absorbers with every step you take. As you age, and through the wear and tear of use, these pads atrophy or thin. As they do, every step you take can cause excruciating pain. Many times this syndrome can go undiagnosed for years. For many, the wrong diagnosis or improper treatment has led to years of debilitating pain and disability.

The Foot and Ankle Center has the answer to pain caused by foot pad atrophy. In fact, Dr. Richard Benjamin wrote the book on its treatment — literally. Three years ago he created the Benjamin Fat Pad Restoration procedure that cures foot pain caused by this painful disease. He is now one of only three podiatrists in the U.S. who perform the procedure… and he personally taught both other physicians how to perform it.

An answer to your foot pain

“I invented an outpatient procedure that has patients in and out of surgery in three hours,” says Dr. Benjamin. “Using this minimally invasive technique, I make a small incision on the bottom of the foot where the second and third toes meet the foot. I then underscore and free-up the tissue to create a pocket approximately 4 by 7 centimeters in size. I then insert either a Graft Jacket or BioTape pad into the pocket I created and stitch it closed. Amazingly, our patients are able to walk out of the surgical unit immediately following the procedure.”

The Graft Jacket or BioTape material then bonds with the surrounding tissue of the foot, recreating the original pad. Within three weeks patients are pain-free and back out on the golf course or walking and exercising, and within six weeks they are back to pickleball or tennis. Over 1.5 million procedures have been performed with absolutely no rejection of the inserted pad.

“Of course, surgery is always the last option after arch supports or orthotic inserts, but it is always good to know there is a permanent solution to fat pad atrophy,” says Dr. Benjamin.

And it is always comforting to be able to receive treatment from the man who wrote the book on the successful treatment of foot pad atrophy… Dr. Richard Benjamin!

Dr. Benjamin is board-certified in foot and ankle surgery. He is a former adjunct professor of surgery at Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine, is the former president of the American Association of Podiatric Physicians and Surgeons, and is an international and national speaker on foot surgery and wound therapy. He has been in practice since 1980.