regenerativemedicine

Offers Healing For Hurting Heels

Sarah Swanson dreaded her first step each morning.

The instant her right heel touched the floor, Swanson felt “an almost crippling pain.”

Just two years prior, she had finished her first marathon in Fargo in 2011. And she was training for her third, running up to 10 miles each day.

“After running, my heel would get really tight. I took a lot of Advil, six to eight pills a day, which is not healthy,” says Swanson, who works as the specialty shop manager at Scheels in Fargo, where she and her husband, Lee, reside with their boxers, Archer and Lana.

After her fourth Fargo Marathon in 2014, the thirty-something Swanson sought a podiatrist. She learned her pain had a name: plantar fasciitis. This condition involves a painful inflammation of a thick band of tissue, known as the plantar fascia, that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes.

Plantar fasciitis affects two million adults in the United States, according to the American Physical Therapy Association. Swanson’s intensive running and retail career, which requires standing for hours on hard floors, likely contributed to the condition.

At her podiatrist’s recommendation, she tried inserts in her shoes — first, over-the-counter inserts, and then custom-made. Neither provided relief.

While Swanson is no fan of needles, she agreed to a cortisone injection. Sadly, the relief lasted one week or two. Her second injection six months later provided similar disappointing results.

Next, she began physical therapy, including the Graston technique, in which the therapist uses a stainless-steel tool to find restrictions and then scrape the tissue to break it up and restore use. Swanson describes that treatment as more painful than the cortisone injections.

“It helped a lot, until I started running,” says Swanson, who had reduced her daily runs to five miles.

Finally, she tried deep tissue massages weekly for the next six months. Still, no lasting relief.

After exhausting every treatment option, a discouraged Swanson searched the internet and learned about regenerative medicine. Many professional athletes, including Tiger Woods, as well as weekend warriors have turned to regenerative medicine to overcome injury.

Swanson discovered platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy could be performed at Center for Pain Medicine in Fargo. She made an appointment to see Dr. Majid Ghazi, a board-certified anesthesiologist and interventional pain physician.

“He was very credible, very reassuring and he knew what he was doing,” Swanson says. Ghazi ordered an MRI of her foot to confirm the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis.

“Regenerative medicine is an area of medicine that utilizes the body’s own biologics to repair tissue injury and restore function,” Ghazi says. “PRP therapy is especially effective at reducing inflammation and speeding soft tissue healing.”

Unlike cortisone injections or surgery, PRP immediately triggers your body to heal itself. And patients often experience reduction in pain in four to six weeks.

Once again, Swanson faced her strong dislike of needles in her quest to be pain-free.

On July 11, 2018, Swanson underwent PRP therapy, an outpatient procedure, which is performed in the center’s in-house operating room in a sterile environment. Swanson’s blood was drawn and processed in a centrifuge, which isolates platelets and their growth factors. These growth factors help injured tissue to heal faster. Ghazi then re-injected PRP into her foot at the site of the injury.

For the next two months, Swanson worked with a physical therapist from PT/OT Partners, which is housed in same building, to stretch and strengthen her heel to prepare it for running. And Swanson felt gradual pain relief within three months of PRP therapy.

“Although plantar fasciitis is a common problem, it can be difficult to treat,” Ghazi adds. “Cortisone injections can increase damage and surgery is not often an effective option. PRP therapy is a safe, little-known treatment that could help so many.”

Now, Swanson runs one to two days weekly— without pain. And she completed the half-marathon in the Twin Cities Marathon in October 2018. She’s incorporated variety to her workouts, adding indoor cycling and strength training.

She’s not the only one who is pleased with the results. “My husband, Lee, is incredibly happy that he doesn’t have to listen to me complain about how much my foot hurts,” Swanson jokes.

Swanson plans to have PRP therapy on her left heel in the future. Because the treatment is not covered by insurance, she is saving up for it.

“When I think of how many things I tried and didn’t work, this is the one thing that gave me lasting relief,” Swanson says. “It’s natural, no drugs in my body, no side effects. It’s almost mind-blowing.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION about the Center for Pain Medicine, call 701-551-6980 or visit centerforpainfargo.com

IT STARTS WITH YOU.

You are a role model, and the future generation will follow your lead. The best thing you can do to create healthy habits for your family is to introduce them to a healthy lifestyle by leading one yourself. From eating healthy, well-balanced meals that consist of whole foods to being active daily, you will instill the importance of living a healthy lifestyle that will last a lifetime for your family.

Living a healthy lifestyle and helping instill the same in the lives of children is a passion of mine. Our family (my boyfriend, his two daughters and myself) know the importance of adopting such a lifestyle, but are also aware of the challenges that come in doing so. My hope is to encourage you and your family to make living a healthy lifestyle a priority and have a lot of fun in doing so.

Begin with the following two months of the “Family Fit Challenge” to get you going. I encourage you to involve your family in developing your own monthly challenges. These family fit challenges focus on daily fitness and healthy nutrition. These are simple and fun challenges to get everyone involved and motivated to make healthy choices each day. Set a reward for completion of the Family Fit Challenge; perhaps a movie night or buying a new game for the family to play together, but the goal is to instill these healthy habits as a lifestyle and create a new way of living. These will bring your family together as a team. And most importantly, don’t forget to have fun!

Each day this month, you’ll complete the exercises for the amounts listed. These are just suggestions, but a great place to start, and are moves that can be modified for all ages and fitness levels. Your family is a team, so I encourage you to complete these together as healthy quality family time. Designate one person each day to check-off the calendar when everyone has completed these. Toward the end of the month, you may need to adjust the amounts depending on the ages of the children in your family.

1. Eat the colors of the the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white)

2. Set the table and sit down to eat breakfast as a family

3. Choose a new fruit to try

Each day you’ll choose one item from the nutrition goals list to focus on completing. These are fun reminders to focus on healthy eating habits, that teach and encourage your entire family, helping picky eaters broaden their food choices, and getting everyone involved in the kitchen. You don’t have to go in order, but instead have each member of the family choose one item each day. This should be a fun and encouraging challenge for the entire family. Again, the goal is to complete each day as a team. Think of these as team-building (family-building) exercises. Oh, and don’t forget to have fun! We’re making a healthy lifestyle fun for all and instilling healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Keep this list in a place for all to see.

4. Pick a new vegetable to try and find a new recipe to use it

5. Meal prep lunches for the week

6. Help cook a meal

7. Pack a healthy lunch and go on a picnic as a family (even in your backyard!)

8. Prepare a vegetable a new way (example: try making noodle from zucchini or carrots)

9. Set the table and sit down to eat dinner as a family

10. Choose a new grain to try (example: millet, bulgur)

11. Find a new recipe and make for the family

12. Drink 4–8 glasses of water a day (depending on age/size)

13. Prepare healthy snacks for the week

14. Add as many colors as you can to a meal

15. Make a smoothie bar (bonus: try adding cooked then frozen cauliflower or zucchini!)

16. Eat one fruit or vegetable at each meal

17. Fill half of your plate with vegetables

18. Read labels to check grams of sugar (American Heart Association states kids have under 25 grams/day)

19. Eliminate any added sugars and have only natural sugar (fruit, dates, honey, pure maple syrup)

20. Make a healthy version of your favorite snack (example: chips – try making your own using potatoes or veggies)

21. Instead of buying fruit juice, make your own fresh squeezed or with a juicer

22. Make a dinner together as a family (each family member chooses one item to make)

23. Make a veggie or fruit platter into a fun shape

24. Go to a farmer’s market and support local farmers by buying fresh produce

Follow

25. Visit a farm or garden to understand where the food comes from

26. Plant herbs inside (basil and mint are favorites) to use when cooking

27. Make a healthy dessert (try ice cream using frozen bananas)

28. Invite family or friends over to enjoy a meal together

29. Cut veggies or a sandwich into a fun shape

30. Start making a family recipe/cookbook with your favorite recipes