Functional Medicine is a biological system–based approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease. Each symptom or differential diagnosis may be one of many contributing to an individual’s illness. At Functional Foot and Ankle, we look beyond the foot, ankle and lower limb to customize a treatment plan focused on the patient and the root cause of their condition.
A diagnosis (problem/condition) can be the result of more than one cause. For example, heel pain can be caused by many different factors, including inflammation, loss of flexibility, or injury. Likewise, a cause such as inflammation may lead to a number of different diagnoses, including back pain, leg pain and even depression. The precise manifestation of each cause depends on the individual’s genes, environment, and lifestyle, and only treatments that address the right cause will have lasting benefit beyond symptom suppression.