March 2013
2 posts
8 tags
Keep Your Heels Healthy While Exercising
Exercising is good for us, but we have to be careful to exercise in a smart way that is healthy for every part of our body, even our feet.
Our feet, including our heels, are under a lot of pressure when we exercise and often they are overlooked. Injuries often sustained while exercising include stress fractures, muscle strains, Achilles tendon injuries, and more.
Here are a few tips on...
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Dealing with Blisters
Blisters are a common problem. Most of the time they are caused by friction from ill-fitting shoes and they do not require medical attention. However, blisters can be very painful and it is important to treat them correctly so that they don’t get infected.
Blisters should not be punctured unless they are large, painful, or likely to be further irritated. If you do have to puncture a blister, use...
February 2013
2 posts
9 tags
Treating Stress Fractures
Stress fractures in the feet are commonly seen in the calcaneus, which is the heel bone. Treatments for stress fractures depend on the break and its severity, but one major factor in healing a stress fracture is taking time off from repetitive activities and giving the foot the opportunity to rest and heal.
Other treatments for stress fractures include:
Immobilization, which may include...
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An Ankle/Foot Brace May Help Ease Your Heel Pain
Suffering from plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendonitis? Can’t stand the pain in your heels any longer?
You may want to try an ankle or foot brace. Ankle and foot braces can help to take some of the stress off of our feet and cushion them. They are made to help relieve pain caused by plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis, as well as other foot problems.
The Aircast Airheel is a good product...
January 2013
4 posts
8 tags
Symptoms of Arthritis in the Foot
Arthritis can be very painful and, in some cases, even debilitating. Arthritis in the foot can limit your mobility and independence.
It is important to treat arthritis as soon as you start experiencing symptoms. If arthritis is caught early and treated properly, the damage caused by arthritis can be limited or at least slowed.
Here are some symptoms of arthritis in the foot:
Swelling in one...
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What To Expect With A Cortisone Injection
Getting a cortisone injection and don’t know what to expect?
Here are a few things you should know:
Cortisone injections are a type of steroid injection and help to get rid of inflammation.
Cortisone injections are painful. However, a numbing medication is mixed in with the injection so that the foot will go numb soon after the shot, relieving pain caused by the injection.
When the injection...
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How Heel Pain In Your Child Is Different From...
Heel pain is common childhood complaint. However, heel pain experienced by children is usually different from heel pain experience by adults because the pain is typically experienced for different reasons.
Among adults, the most common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis pain is usually relieved by walking around and stretching out the plantar fascia.
Walking around and...
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Symptoms of an Achilles Tendon Rupture
An Achilles tendon rupture is a serious injury that needs to be evaluated and treated as soon as possible. It can be a difficult injury to recover from and it takes time, sometimes 6 to 12 months or more, to return to full activity after an Achilles tendon rupture.
It is important to recognize the symptoms of an Achilles tendon rupture and seek medical attention right away to prevent further...
December 2012
3 posts
8 tags
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy: A Treatment For...
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) is a great non-invasive treatment option for chronic plantar fasciitis that is safe and effective.
ESWT has two advantages over most plantar fasciitis treatments:
Largely due to the procedure’s non-invasive nature and the fact that there is no incision, EWST doesn’t have as many potential complications as most treatments.
ESWT allows for a quicker...
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Dry Needling: A Treatment For Chronic Plantar...
When conservative treatment options have not succeeded in getting rid of your plantar fasciitis pain, your podiatrist may recommend dry needling, a procedure that is used to treat chronic plantar fasciitis.
The procedure sounds painful, but actually there is not much pain involved at all. You will have a local anesthetic injection before the procedure begins.
After the foot is numbed, an...
Five Common Causes Of Heel Pain
Heel pain is the most common type of foot pain and although middle-aged men and women, athletes, those who spend a lot of time on their feet, and those who are overweight are more prone to heel pain, it can actually occur in anyone at any age. There are many conditions and injuries that can cause heel pain. Five common causes of heel pain are: 1. Plantar fasciitis, also known as heel spur...
October 2012
2 posts
6 tags
6 tags
Ultrasound helps to better treat Plantar Fasciitis
Many patients seen in our office on a daily basis suffer from Plantar Fasciitis. This condition can affect anyone’s day. Treatment for this common condition has been changing as technology advances. One of the ways to treat Plantar Fasciitis more effectively is through using ultrasound. We have been using ultrasound in our office for approximately 3 years to assist with diagnosing Plantar...
January 2012
1 post
6 tags
Heel pain home remedies....what works?
If you have heel pain you may have tried some of the same things I hear my patients trying before they come into the office. Here are some of the recent home remedies I have heard-that didn’t work very well for plantar fasciitis: 1. The doctor scholl’s machine at Walmart. (by the way these are not “custom orthotics” regardless of what the advertising leads you to...
November 2011
4 posts
October 2011
4 posts
5 tags
How long will Ryan Howard be out with an achilles...
That is the question now for the Philadelphia Phillies. With their star on the sidelines his injury is potentially career ending. Granted, I do not know the doctors treating Ryan Howard and I have not seen his MRI. I really don’t know any specifics about his case. When I talk about achilles ruptures I do it generally. What I do know is Ryan Howard has everything in his corner and with...
September 2011
1 post
7 tags
Reebok Toning Shoes Don't Tone →
I am frequently asked about the shoes that “tone”. The decision today by the FTC answers that for us. Lots of companies have them-Reebok, New Balance, Sketchers….. While I have been telling people to avoid them since they came out, there is now evidence to back up the advice I have been giving. You can find a list of shoes with the seal of approval from the American Podiatric...
August 2011
2 posts
7 tags
What is the difference between and orthotic and an...
Insoles vs. Orthotics
There are literally hundreds of products on the market that claim that they “will improve foot comfort” or “relieve pain”. So what makes all of these different?
An insole is simply a shoe insert, typically cushioned for comfort or molded for orthopedic reasons. (Common varieties include Doctor Scholl’s) However, most insoles don’t have any real support...
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What is haglund's deformity?
Pain in the back of the heel can be classified in a couple of different ways. If your pain is directly behind the ankle at the achilles insertion you may have achilles tendonitis or haglund’s deformity. The difference is really subtle and often times both problems are present. Tendonitis is the inflammation found in the tendon. Pain is typically present with activity. Haglund’s...
July 2011
2 posts
9 tags
Heel Pain Treatment Recommendations
Initial treatment options for plantar heel pain (heel spur syndrome, plantar fasciitis) should be simple and cost effective according to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS). The ACFASA has a 3 tier approach to plantar heel pain treatment. They include the following in tier 1: Padding, Strapping, Stretching, OTC arch support, Heel cup, Shoe recommendations, Oral...
May 2011
3 posts
8 tags
Plantar Heel Pain, Plantar Fasciitis, Plantar...
There are many ways to describe this terrible pain in the bottom of the heel. As I discussed previously the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons has guidelines for treating plantar fasciitis, plantar fasciosis or heel spur syndrome. They all really mean about the same thing. They break treatment down into tiers. Tier one is the basic things most people try at home: Changing shoes, over...
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How does a night splint help plantar fasciitis or...
A night splint is a device you wear on your foot/ankle to help hold your ankle at a 90 degree angle. The purpose of this is to stretch your achilles/calf and your plantar fascia. With heel pain the calf and plantar fascia are often very tight. One of the most common pains people experience with plantar fasciitis is pain getting out of bed in the morning or going from a sitting a few minutes...
April 2011
6 posts
7 tags
American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons... →
The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons is one of the most respected organizations in Podiatric Medicine. These are the guidlines that are based on literature which are provided to help physicians provide evidence based medicine when treating heel pain. What that really means is a group of experienced podiatrists have gotten together and looked at the research that has been done on heel...
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Great Procedure to treat chronic heel pain,... →
There is hope for chronic heel pain. I have been performing “dry needling” in the office for about 18 months now and have had excellent results. This is a procedure that has virtually eliminated the need for me to take patients to the operating room. There are no stitches. It is done in the office. There is minimal time off of work. When people talk about the need to remove heel...
3 tags
2 sure signs you have plantar fasciitis
Two common symptoms 95% of people I see in the office share when they have plantar fasciitis are pain with the first few steps out of bed in the morning and pain that is located at the bottom of the heel with direct palpation.
March 2011
3 posts
8 tags
Dr. Neuhaus in the news with a story about his new... →
Chronic heel pain is very difficult to treat. Dr. Matthew Neuhaus and Dr.Jason Knox are podiatrists at Neuhaus Foot and Ankle, with offices in the nashville area that use the latest technology available to get patients up and walking pain free. Shock wave therapy is a painless procedure that is being used by many professional athletes. It is now available to the “common people” in...
7 tags
Foot Problems in the NCAA tournament-Kyrie Irving
A few years ago it was Carlos Boozer with a metatarsal fracture that kept Duke from having a full roster going into the NCAA tournament. This year it is Kryie Irving, the outstanding freshman who is questionable because of a foot injury. Coach K wants to down play the story but everyone knows if they get Irving back Duke has a real opportunity to win another national championship. So what kind...
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How is Tyreke Evans treating his plantar...
Tyreke Evans, the Sacramento Kings guard, has a bad case of plantar fasciitis by the sound of it. Recent reports say he is being treated in Los Angeles using a procedure called shock-wave therapy or ESWT. Shock-wave is a treatment that is now available in many podiatrist offices around the country. I have been doing it in my office for the past 10 months and I have had great success. The...
