I wanted to talk about typical patient experience at our surgical Center. The first thing that are patients like is that they are already familiar with the location because it's within Medical Center of Issaquah - so it's easy access. Our patients come into to the clinic and they don't have to arrive 2 hours ahead of time and just wait around, like at the hospital. Once our patients arrive, either Dr. Nelson or Dr. Young (myself) will briefly chat with our patients before surgery and verify exactly what we are doing. Anesthesiawill come and chat with our patient's ahead of time. Anesthesia will have previously had a phone call to review expectations and medical history prior to the day of surgery. Thisway there areo surprises ahead of time for either anesthesia or our patients. That our patients are escorted back to the surgical suite and anesthesia will start the IV and get them relaxed and comfortable. The surgical suite will be prepared for the planned procedure including all the sterile instrumentation and supplies. The patient will be given prophylactic antibiotics along with IV medication to make them comfortable. Note that we utilize conscious sedation therefore our patients do not have a general anesthetic in the recovered very quickly. But they also do not feel or remember any of the details of the surgical procedure or local anesthetic. When they come out of the state of conscious sedation they do not have any recollection of the procedure but the foot or ankle is numb and all the surgical procedures are complete: the dressings are in place and if necessary a cast boot or splint is in place. Anesthesia will complete the recovery process and make sure that our patients are stable and ready to drive home with either a family member or other designated driver. They have all the postoperative instructions and prescriptions filled ahead of time and they're already to go home and recuperate in the comfort of their own home. The process is much shorter and simpler than at the hospital. Because our surgical Center is Medicare Certified, we follow strict guidelines. The overall result is a much more comfortable and relaxing process; but, with exactly the same procedures that I do when I go to Overlake Hospital or Swedish Hospital. The other great benefit is that it is at a fraction of the cost of the hospital.
One of the best ways to evaluate the plantar fascia is via ultrasound. Ultrasound allows us to look at soft tissue and not bony pathology. The ultrasound allows us to intracately evaluate the plantar fascia and see how much swelling or fluid or edema is present. This often helps guide treatment options. In our office, we have the most up-to-date and advanced treatment protocols that help our heel pain patients become pain-free quickly. Plantar fasciitis can often be a frustrating condition. However, our success rate approaches 99%. Heel pain is by far the most common condition we treat, and we are considered experts in this field. If you continue to suffer from heel pain and have not had much success, we will be happy to help you become pain-free quickly.
