Contact: media@bannerhealth.com

TUCSON, Ariz. (Feb. 6, 2019) – A jolt of searing heel pain can derail many new exercisers from their 2019 fitness resolutions but there are ways to treat and prevent those agonizing foot problems, says a leading orthopedics expert.

“Prevention is the best cure by stretching the calf muscle with the knee extended,’’ said Daniel Latt, MD, PhD, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in foot and ankle surgery as well as orthopedic sports medicine. Latt is affiliated with Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, where he serves as an associate professor in the University of Arizona Department of Orthopedic Surgery.

Audio clips B-roll: Latt speaks about troubling foot pain

Regular stretching like that can prevent the development of plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis, Latt says.

The often-painful conditions happen to patients when they try to do too much fitness in too short of a time, he says. “(Plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis) are two injuries in people who don’t exercise regularly when they try to increase their level of activity,’’ he said.

Plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis are related to the calf muscles. When the calf muscles are too tight, ankles can’t bend far enough, and all the strain of activity goes into the heel area, he said.

While both conditions can be excruciatingly painful, they can both be easy to treat, Latt says.

In addition to stretching their calves, patients can insert gel pads in their shoes to cushion their feet and take anti-inflammatories to prevent further inflammation.

By following those simple procedures, 90 percent of patients can get better in three to six months, he said.

Dr. Latt is available for interviews -- please contact media@bannerhealth.com

About Banner – University Medical Center Tucson and South

Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, nationally ranked as a best hospital by U.S. News and World Report, and Banner – University Medical Center South are part of Banner – University Medicine, a premier academic medical network. These institutions are academic medical centers for the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. Included on the two campuses are Diamond Children's Medical Center and many specialty clinics. The two academic medical centers are part of Arizona-based Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. Banner Health is in six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com/UniversityTucson or www.bannerhealth.com/UniversitySouth