Baxter′s nerve entrapment is described as the acute pain felt when the first branch of the lateral plantar nerve becomes entrapped in the medial heel. Though most cases of heel pain are associated with plantar fasciitis, some patients are mis-diagnosed and the problem could in fact be associated with the entrapment of your Baxter′s nerve.
Dr. Donald Baxter first described the condition in 1984 leading his papers to set the record and the name of this particular nerve and like conditions. Though Baxter′s nerve entrapment may be hard to differentiate from plantar fasciitis, both conditions initially require the same treatment.
Baxter’s Nerve Entrapment Treatment
Some conservative, non-surgical options to alleviate pain are:
- Prescribed stretches
- Physical therapy
- Taping of heel area to control uncontrollable motions
- Medication to help reduce inflammation
Should you not immediately respond to any of the above treatments, your condition is most likely not plantar fasciitis. If this is the case, many physicians recommend corticosteroid and local anaesthetic injections directly into the nerve. Should all of the above options become exhausted the next step is surgery. The procedure performed, known as neurolysis, is intended to release the Baxter’s nerve. In most cases, the proper diagnosis and treatment of Baxter’s nerve entrapment leads to a 92% success rate in reducing or completely eliminating heel pain.