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For more than 4,000 consecutive days,
Alan Sotak has never missed his daily run!
In 1975, Alan Sotak started running as a young soldier in Ft. Raleigh,
Kansas. He ran avidly until December 1996. On December 27, 1996,
he upped the ante and started a running streak that continues to
this day. For more than 4,000 consecutive days, Alan Sotak has never
missed his daily run.
Alan has run approximately 13,000 miles in every kind of weather.
He has braved temperatures dipping 40 below zero as well as heat
indexes trumping 120; he has run all over the United States and
in more than half a dozen foreign countries. In other words, nothing
comes in the way of his morning run. To him, it's as necessary as
a cup of coffee is to the rest of us.
A few years ago, Alan started experiencing pain in his foot. He
equates the sensation to that of pressing a thumb tack into his
heel. Alan visited multiple physicians and received a variety of
treatments, including injections, physical therapy and multiple
sets of orthotics. Unfortunately, nothing worked. After a year of
suffering, he finally decided surgery was his only hope. When he
told a colleague of his plan, the friend recommended Dr. Ray Fritz
of Allentown Family Foot Care.
Dr. Fritz understood Alan's passion. He knew the runner would never
miss a work out. As Alan says, "He acts as a personal guide
and makes decisions based on the patient's lifestyle." Dr.
Fritz counseled Alan on all of his options and suggested that surgery
be an absolute last resort.
They began first with cortisone shots and then moved onto ultrasound
wave treatments. When neither worked effectively, Dr. Fritz recommended
the Anodyne Therapy System, an FDA-approved light-emitting device
that speeds up the healing process. The treatment, in conjunction
with custom orthotics made by Dr. Fritz, has virtually eliminated
his pain. Alan feels that the Anodyne was the biggest factor in
settling things down. To this day, he remains pain free.
In the words of Alan Sotak, "I just can't speak highly enough
about Dr. Fritz and his team at Allentown Family Foot Care!"
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