Footnotes, The Foot & Ankle Blog

It’s December and we’re heading into winter. Daylight seems to slip away and nights become longer. The weather is cooling (even in California) and we see the change of seasons. Leaves fall from the trees, clothing stores trot out more sweaters, jackets and boots, and holiday lights crop up around the neighborhood. It’s a season marked with change. Your body read more »

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There can’t be any serious disagreement. Frodo’s trek across Middle Earth is the greatest hike in all recorded hiking history. And that monumental journey is even more amazing when you realize it was accomplished without benefit of our hiking tips for beginners. 1.  Don’t hike alone (unless you actually need solitude) Coping with ticks and sunburn doesn’t require companions with read more »

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Satisfactory treatment has long been available for early-stage ankle arthritis. And effective procedures, including ankle fusion and total ankle replacement, are available for end-stage ankle arthritis. But one of the last great barriers in the treatment of ankle arthritis has been how to handle moderate ankle arthritis. Until recently, some of the greatest podiatric challenges were moderate ankle arthritis cases. read more »

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About a decade ago, an article entitled Born to Run appeared in the journal Nature. A book of the same name followed. The Born to Run authors set up a website; Biomechanics of Foot Strikes & Applications to Running Barefoot or in Minimal Footwear. The history of minimalist running shoes These publications promoted the notion that those who enjoy recreational read more »

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What is a bunion? Bunions (hallux abducto Valgus or just hallux valgus in medical lingo) are a common and painful abnormality of the big toe joint (first metatarsophalangeal). Bunions affect nearly 25% of American adults 18 to 35 and over 33% of those over 65! While there are non-surgical things you can do to make bunions less uncomfortable, such as wearing read more »

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We all know that walking is beneficial to our health: it improves our cardiovascular fitness, brain clarity, and helps reduce anxiety and stress. Many studies of adults 70 to 80 years old have shown that fast walking is associated to longevity. New data has recently come out suggesting that the pace at which we walk may predict our future health. read more »

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Researchers at Duke University just published a breakthrough study in the journal Science Advances showing that humans have the ability to repair and regrow cartilage similar to other species like salamanders, lizards and zebrafish.  This has important implications for the treatment of joint injuries and arthritis. Humans have always had the ability to regrow tissue For years, scientists have acknowledged read more »

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Whether you call it your little toe, wee toe, baby toe, small toe, fifth toe, or pinky toe, that outermost pedal digit can cause outsized problems. The big toe, baby toe and heel stabilize the base of your foot Your foot forms a functional triangle. When you’re standing or walking, your heel supports most of your body weight, with the read more »

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The following is a little technical, but we wanted to share it since it’s a very good encapsulation of the current state of modern minimally invasive Bunion surgery. It was written by University Foot and Ankle Institute’s own Dr. Bob Baravarian and was published in Local Podiatry Magazine. Bunion surgery is one of the most common surgeries in foot and read more »

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Your big toe is more than just a device to locate bedposts and chair legs in the dark. The big toe is the only toe significant enough to get its own medical name. It’s dignified with the appellation “hallux”. The other four little piggies have to be satisfied with mere numbers. Whenever you are upright, there are crucial moments when read more »

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