Is foot or ankle pain making it difficult to do the things you love? You’re not alone. An estimated 80 percent of Americans experience podiatric pain at some point in their lives—and depending on the cause, the effects can range from mild discomfort to a debilitating loss of mobility.
Don’t allow foot and ankle pain to force you to slow down, do less, or miss out on exciting opportunities or activities. Let Alpine Foot & Ankle Clinic and board-certified podiatrist Dr. Gregg Neibauer help you give it the boot. Our Missoula, Montana, podiatry practice offers complete care for painful foot and ankle conditions, including advanced treatments like Shockwave (EPAT/ESWT) and laser therapy. We help Montana and Idaho patients find the relief they need to get back on their feet.
Painful Foot and Ankle Conditions We Treat
Pain is associated with numerous podiatric problems, making accurate diagnosis essential for effective treatment. Dr. Neibauer uses state-of-the-art technology and decades of experience to correctly identify what’s causing your pain and provide the thorough yet efficient care needed to help your feet feel better.
Here are some examples of the painful foot and ankle conditions we address at our Missoula clinic:
- Strains and sprains: Overstretching of the muscles or ligaments in the foot or ankle can cause pain, swelling, and bruising and prevent you from bearing weight on the affected leg.
- Bursitis: This is a painful inflammation of the bursae—the small, fluid-filled sacs that cushion the bones and tendons around the joints in your feet and ankles—caused by sustained pressure and repetitive movements.
- Stress fractures: Tiny cracks in foot or ankle bones can cause tenderness, inflammation, and pain that worsens with activity but doesn’t improve with rest.
- Tendonitis: Tendonitis, which is inflammation of the strong tissue bands connecting muscles to bones, can cause painful aches in your feet or ankles. Achilles tendonitis, which affects the tendon that attaches the calf muscles to the heel bone, is the most common form. However, tendonitis can also impact the posterior tibial tendon that connects calf muscles to bones inside the foot and the peroneal tendon that runs along the outside of the ankle.
- Neuromas: A neuroma, which develops when tissue thickens around a nerve between the metatarsal bones running from midfoot to toes, can cause pain and burning sensations in the ball of the foot and affected toes. This condition can also make it feel like you’re standing on a pebble.
- Arthritis and gout: Conditions like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can lead to painful and inflamed foot and ankle joints. Gout, a form of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in joints, can cause severe pain in the big toe.
- Plantar fasciitis: Inflammation of the plantar fascia, the thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of the foot, connecting the heel bone and toes, causes pain on the bottom of the heel that is worse in the morning but improves with activity.
- Bunions: A bunion is a painful, bony bump that forms at the base of the big toe due to a misalignment of the first metatarsal bone. Bunions can be caused by genetics or lifestyle factors such as frequently wearing high heels.
- Flat feet: Flat feet, a condition where your arches flatten when bearing weight, can subject your feet to excess pressure and pain.
- Peripheral neuropathy: Peripheral neuropathy, a type of nerve damage that causes pain, tingling, or numbness in your feet and ankles, is often a complication of diabetes.
We Offer Wide-Ranging Pain Relief Options, Including Advanced Therapies
At Alpine Foot & Ankle Clinic, Dr. Neibauer provides friendly, patient-centered podiatry care that focuses on non- and minimally invasive treatments and advanced therapies that promote swift recovery.
Depending on your diagnosis and our recommendations, your foot treatment plan might include:
- Custom orthotics: Made just for your feet, these shoe inserts provide precise support and cushioning to relieve pressure and pain.
- Stem cell therapy: We inject stem cells into painful areas of the feet and ankles to reduce inflammation and promote faster tissue repair.
- Shockwave (EPAT/ESWT): This revolutionary pain-relief therapy uses unique sets of acoustic pressure waves to stimulate metabolism, enhance circulation to the treatment area, and accelerate the regeneration of damaged tissue.
- Laser therapy: We use a specialized device to deliver laser energy to the affected area of the foot or ankle, decreasing painful swelling, increasing blood flow, and accelerating cellular reproduction and growth to jumpstart the healing process.