Most peoples' symptoms improve but it may take several months to get better. Making changes to your lifestyle as well as reducing aggravating activities is key to helping your recovery.
Fat pad atrophy is fat tissue breakdown that does not repair or reverse with time.
How long will it take to recover? Initial recovery can take between 8-12 weeks and full recovery between 3-6 months (6, 7). If left untreated, symptoms can return if you go back to usual activities, without having gone through an appropriate rehabilitation programme (6).
Repetitive stress and pressure: prolonged periods of standing, walking or other weight-bearing activities, especially on hard surfaces, can accelerate fat pad atrophy.
Fat pad atrophy can also be a side effect of disease, including arthritis, peripheral neuropathy and diabetes. Whatever the cause of the condition, the result is increased sensitivity or pain in the ball of the foot or the heel, and sometimes in both areas.
Treatment. Traditional treatment for fat atrophy includes tissue transfer from another region of the body using microsurgical techniques, as well as placement of synthetic implants. Both procedures have proven success and at times remain necessary. Newer treatment options for fat atrophy are also available.
Stretching should focus on lengthening the gastrocnemius and soleus, while mobilizations should include ankle eversion and plantar fascia motions. Improve foot, ankle, and lower leg muscle control: Start with foot stabilization exercises, weight-bearing strengthening exercises for the calf muscles.
Softer, cushioned-soled insoles such as the pressure perfect and shoes with cushioned midsoles tend to help symptoms, because the insoles and shoes can help take some the impact forces away from the foot (like soft sand).
Even after plenty of weight loss, the fat above your pubic area is likely to remain intact. Plus, losing more than 100 pounds — an impressive accomplishment — often results in a lot of extra skin.
Leneva fat pad injections offer a specialized treatment approach for individuals experiencing fat pad atrophy, particularly in the ball and bottom of the foot. This innovative therapy aims to restore cushioning and support to the affected areas, alleviating discomfort and improving overall foot function.
Conservative Treatments
Experts say the mainstays of treatment for heel fat pad atrophy are custom-molded foot orthoses with padding, shoes that provide padding and support for the feet while walking, and heel cups or cushioned socks that help reduce the impact of walking on the foot.
Toe walking is a pattern of walking in which your child walks on their toes and balls of their feet. Their heels don't make contact with the ground. In children under the age of 2, toe walking is common as they're learning how to walk. It isn't normally a cause for concern.
Fat grafting to the foot is a potential treatment to help ease pain from fat pad atrophy and chronic plantar fasciitis. In this procedure, doctors harvest fat cells through liposuction from an area of fat excess, such as the belly or thighs.
Most people recover well from fat pad syndrome within six to twelve weeks but may take up to six months in some cases.
Typically with aging, the fat pads start to atrophy, or disappear. This is seen in the temples, cheek area, and around the eyes. Some patients, however, have slightly larger fat pads in the lower cheeks. This can give the appearance of a fuller or rounder lower face.
Fat Pad Atrophy can be distinguished from plantar fasciitis by the location of the pain. If the pain is located in the center of the heel it's probably Fat Pad Atrophy and if it's found where the arch and heel meet, it's more likely plantar fasciitis.
Muscle atrophy due to inactivity can occur if a person remains immobile while recovering from an illness or injury. However, this type of atrophy is reversible with regular exercise and physical therapy. People can treat muscle atrophy by making lifestyle changes, trying physical therapy, or undergoing surgery.
You can treat infrapatellar fat pad syndrome with physiotherapy. Other treatments include taping your knee and steroid injections. If these treatments don't work, you may need to have an operation but most people don't need this. For more information, see our section on treatment of infrapatellar fat pad syndrome.
Can Fat Pad Atrophy Be Reversed. While fat pad atrophy cannot be reversed, it can be slowed down by cushioning your foot with heel cups, wearing shoes with extra padding, avoiding barefoot walking, and more.
Subcutaneous fat atrophy has been known to last for 6-12 months after corticosteroid injection, and it is known to be reversible and resolved within one year.