Plantar Fibromatosis
by Jane Gordon
Hello! I have a confirmed case of plantar fibromatosis. I have been trying the 15% verapamil cream since March. I have been very faithful in its use. Yes, it is expensive I think at $200 for 120 GM. So far however, I feel there has been a small decrease in size. I intend to continue giving it more time. I am in EXTREME pain and both feet sometimes even keep me awake at night with pain just throbbing. Ouch My question is do you think ultra-sound treatments might also be of help? I own my own TerraQuant Cold Therapy Laser machine (www.terralasers.com) and wonder if I made the feet worse using my machine. From what I read it seems possible? I bought it for treatment of 4 herniated discs in the neck and 3 in the low back but used it on my feet briefly. When I saw no improvement in pain I stopped using it on my feet. Orthotics have been suggested although I have not had those made yet. I intend to meet with a local certified pedorthist soon too. But meanwhile I wanted an opinion about the ultra-sound to see if you thought that might work if even to reduce the pain? The other question is do you know if that gel/cream can be formulated to a stronger consistency? Are there any other ideas of treatment that you can think of for this 'extremely' painful condition? Thank you very much for your help! Hi Jane, I am a believer in trying anything as long as it does not "kill" you, meaning I think you have nothing to lose by trying the ultrasound. You may have to play around with the number of treatments you give yourself. I am not sure if the Verapamil comes any stronger, keep in mind it is a medication for hypertension and using a stronger dose might actually affect your blood pressure. You may want to inquire to the compounding pharmacists who make the product to see if they have a stronger dose. Orthotics may be helpful, but if you are in as much pain as you describe, I am not so sure the orthotics are going to make a big difference. Have you tried cortisone shots? They can be very helpful in reducing the size (and pain) associated with plantar fibromatosis. Ultimately if these lesions are as painful as you suggest and nothing seems to make them more tolerable, then you may have to consider surgical intervention. Make sure you use a surgeon who has experience removing these nodules. See my article on surgical consideration. Good luck. Marc Mitnick DPM
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