Innovative Treatment for Heel Pain

Retired Rosemont Police Captain Finally Puts Best Foot Forward After Years of Heel Pain

He may be retired, but former Rosemont police captain Rick Drehobl is still catching traffic offenders. Nothing seems to slow down this 53-year-old policeman – not even severe heel pain that left him debilitated eight years ago.

“It was so bad, that I had to sleep on my stomach at night, with my feet hanging over the bed so that my feet wouldn’t flex,which kept me from sleeping all night,” he admits. “And, when I was on the job, I found it hard to chase offenders, because the pain was so great.”

Rick‘s heel pain condition is known as plantar fasciitis (heel pain), which is an inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thick fibrous band of connective tissue on the bottom surface of the heel bone and extending along the sole of the foot towards the toes. As a high school and college track and football player, Rick spent a lot of time on his feet. But the heel pain condition was more likely aggravated from long hours on his feet at work.

“We see a lot police and fire personnel, who like Rick, have plantar fasciitis,” says Dr. Wendy Weil, a board-certified podiatric surgeon at the Weil Foot & Ankle Institute (WFAI). “It has to do with the constant pounding of their feet on concrete surfaces as they are providing safety to communities.”

Dr. Weil recommended that Rick undergo a non-invasive treatment called Extracorporeal Sonic Shockwave Therapy (ESSWT). ESSWT is a fast and gentle non-invasive technique that delivers targeted high pressure, radial sonic shock-waves that travel through the skin. Inflamed soft tissue and bone calcification (plantar fasciitis) can heal without harm to the surrounding tissues. A few treatments of sonic shockwave therapy enhance the body’s natural self-healing process by stimulating the formation of new blood vessels. The procedure can be performed without an anesthetic. She also helped him find the perfect orthotics for his shoes, which he still uses today.

“Dr. Weil is my hero. After one ESSWT treatment and orthotics in my shoes, I was 95 percent pain free and sleeping on my back again,” Rick says.

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. An estimated two million Americans a year and 10% of the population during their lifetime will experience plantar fasciitis.

For more information on plantar fasciitis treatment, including sonic shockwave therapy, the Weil Foot & Ankle Institute is offering a free Kick Heel Pain Kit which includes a brochure on symptoms, treatment options and exercises. It also includes a small foot massager for relieving early signs of heel pain discomfort. To get yours complete the email form here