Health Assessment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health Assessment - Research Paper Example Sometimes, the condition is irreversible, and operation is the only resort to solve the problem. Nevertheless, with prompt medical treatment, proper diet and exercise, the disease could be controlled or even cured in time. This paper discusses nursing practices in dealing with patients with plantar fasciitis, a condition common to people who had history of heavy walking and running. The paper details the complaints of the client, subjective and objective data to be collected, rationale for collecting additional data, and health promotion strategies that a nurse can give to the client. The Patient’s Complaint Waking up with painful heel and finding it difficult to walk and climb down the stairs in the morning have become the usual scenarios in the life of Cynthia. At age 35, Cynthia wondered why she developed arthritis. She thought that the pain in her heel was due to arthritis, given the fact that arthritis is common among her father’s relatives. Her father has been suf fering from arthritis for nine years, and he is now 73. Cynthia first felt the pain three years ago when she started working as a freelance writer for several publishing companies. Working at home, she did not go out frequently and only did so when attending meetings, conferences and the like. She submitted write-ups through email, allowing her to stay at home without needing to dress up smartly. That time, Cynthia gained some weight, thus making her quite obese. She did not think of her ailment as permanent; she barely thought that she got the pain from walking as she did her shopping twice monthly. Three years passed and the pain occurred from time to time whenever she went out to do the grocery. Six months ago, she found a new job as a full-time office-based editorial manager. This time around, she has to wear office clothes and use shoes to pair with them. She has been using ballet flats for three months prior to the consultation. Thinking ballet flats look cute and feel comfort able, she bought three pairs of the shoes. Ballet flats are trendy; they are very popular especially among youngsters and are preferred by those who do walking most of the time. These shoes are very colorful and nice to wear because they are usually made of cotton or textile materials so the feet can breath even with long-time wear. The smooth material does not cause blisters unlike leather shoes. Most of all, ballet flats are cheap so one can practically change shoes everyday. Cynthia was attracted to this kind of shoes, not knowing that they could aggravate her condition. When she consulted with an orthopaedist, Cynthia was instructed to undergo x-ray of both feet to find out if bone spurs grew in her heels. The results are positive. Cynthia has inferior calcaneal exostoses or heel spurs on both feet. These results gave the doctor an impression that she has plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis, otherwise known as â€Å"policeman’s heel,† is the painful condition of t he plantar fascia, the connective tissue found on the soul of the foot, usually at the heel part. According to Roxas (2005), the cause of this pain is multifactorial, including excessive mobility, wearing tough shoes, walking or running on hard surfaces, and being overweight. These characteristics of plantar fasciitis determine the additional data required to be collected. Additional Objective and Subjective Data to be Collected Identifying plantar fasciitis is easy in consideration of the