08/03/2016    

PODIATRISTS IN THE NEWS

EPAT Beats Surgery for Heel Pain by 10 Percent: MN Podiatrist 

 

Dr. Walt Ellis said St. Cloud Foot & Ankle Center was an early adopter of the original EPAT technology. He said the clinic was part of a handful in the Upper Midwest rotating a large OssaTron unit around to help treat heel spur syndrome and other orthopedic injuries. However, the clunkiness of the machine, the large out-of-pocket expense on the patient ($600-$750 per session), and the infrequency of availability made the OssaTron system impractical.

 

Dr. Walt Ellis (photo: Kimm Anderson)

 

Three months ago, Ellis decided to revamp his use of EPAT. "Basically we are creating tiny stress fractures and signaling to the body that it needs to repair itself," Ellis said. Each treatment lasts about 10 minutes and is completed weekly for a period of three to five weeks. Ellis said the success rate for EPAT is about 80 percent, 10 percentage points better than traditional surgery.

 

Source: Vicki Ikeogu, St. Cloud Times [8/1/16]