Bone and Soft Tissue Stimulation Uses in Foot and Ankle

Fractures and soft tissue injuries are a fairly common occurrence in our regularly exercised feet and ankles. Sometimes, these injuries heal easily, with minimal or no treatment, but other times, these types of problems fail to heal and cause debilitating chronic pain in the process.

If you’re experiencing a foot or ankle injury that stubbornly won’t go away, Dr. Thomas Rambacher of Podiatry Hotline Foot & Ankle in Mission Viejo, California has a solution. Stimulation devices and solutions are a convenient, minimally invasive treatment that speeds up healing and can bring pain relief in the process.

Understand more about stimulation treatment options, and what they can do for your foot or ankle injury.

Understanding bone and soft tissue injuries

Your feet and ankles get significant daily use, which leaves them vulnerable to injury and other problems. Injuries are common from playing sports, accidents, and structural problems.

A foot or ankle injury can range from a minor muscle strain that heals on its own to a severe bone fracture or muscle tear. Some of the most serious fractures are non-union fractures, which means they heal more slowly than expected or aren’t responding to typical treatment and severe tears in the ligaments or muscles.

For some injuries, Dr. Rambacher prescribes treatments such as RICE protocol (rest, ice, compression, elevation), a brace or cast, injections, or physical therapy. Other times, especially when your injury isn’t responding to these measures, he recommends stimulation treatment.

Stimulation treatment for foot and ankle injuries

There are different forms of stimulation treatments available for foot and ankle injuries, depending on the type and severity of your injury.

Treatment for bone injuries

If your bone fracture hasn’t healed by itself or responded to other treatments, electrical stimulation therapy is an option that promotes healing. Depending on the type of stimulator Dr. Rambacher recommends, your stimulator is either an external device or inserted into your ankle or foot near the fracture.

The stimulator works by sending out pulsed electromagnetic or ultrasound waves, which encourages your bone to regrow and fully heal. An internal stimulator works constantly on the fracture, while you usually use an external stimulator daily on the fracture.

Treatment for soft tissue injuries

For some kinds of soft tissue injury, our podiatrists might recommend you get a specialized massage in the injured area. Massage promotes healing by stimulating tissues, which encourages circulation that speeds up healing and relieves pain.

Some forms of massage use instruments made of stainless steel that bring further benefits than having a hand massage. These instruments break down scar tissues, can more deeply penetrate injured tissues, and promote healing at the cellular level.

If your soft tissue injury is slow to heal, it might also benefit from similar electrical stimulation treatments to those used for fractures. Like bone injuries, electrical treatments work to promote faster healing when your ailment is taking a longer time than expected to get better.

If you have a foot or ankle injury that’s taking a long time to heal or is very painful, stimulation treatment can heal it or promote pain relief. For more information and an evaluation, contact us to make an appointment.