Footnotes, The Foot & Ankle Blog

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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One of the most common machines in your shed or garage is also one of the most dangerous. Walk-behind and power lawn mowers are extremely hazardous if not used properly. Emergency rooms in the U.S. treat an average of 35,000 people each year for lawn mower injuries. More than 6,000 of those injuries are severe. About 20% of those injuries read more »

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A lot of bunion sufferers come to us stating that they avoided bunion surgery for years because they “heard” terrible things that are simply untrue about bunion surgery. Two examples of this are “bunion surgery hurts like crazy” and “why bother getting a bunion surgically repaired since they come back anyway.” There are many bunion surgery myths and we are read more »

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What is Charcot Foot? Charcot foot, (officially known as “Neuropathic Arthropathy”) is a progressive degeneration of a weight bearing joint. It is often has bony destruction, bone resorption, and eventual deformity. It’s reported in 29% of diabetic patients who present with peripheral neuropathy and a loss in proprioception. The survival rates for diabetic amputations at 5 years are only 50%. read more »

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Concerned that your feet are extraordinarily wide? Don’t be. Just appreciate them the way they are and do not worry about how to make your feet smaller. You’ll be glad to know that wide feet are rarely a serious problem. Most wide foot problems can be resolved by ignoring other people’s aesthetic judgments and choosing footwear that’s both attractive and read more »

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When compared to the claws of a tiger, the hooves of a horse or the talons of an eagle, our toenails are quite pathetic. A human’s toenails are made from the same substance (keratin) as claws, hooves and talons, but evolution has drastically reduced the utility of our keratin amenities. Our modern toenails can sometimes be more trouble than they’re read more »

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Does your dog turn his nose up and walk away when you get home from work and kick your shoes off?  Does your partner, family or roommate make you keep your gym shoes outside of the house?  Are you panicked at the thought of taking off your sneakers in the locker room at your health club? Have you tried fungal read more »

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Many troublesome foot and ankle conditions occur in children just as they do in adults. But the bones of growing children haven’t themselves finished growing, so some children’s foot problems require extra attention. What is a child’s growth plate? Sites of active bone growth in children are called growth plates. They exist near the ends of bones in pre-adolescent children. read more »

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“Hey, it’s just a sprain. No big deal. Walk it off. You’ll be fine.” This all too common advice is followed all too often. The all too usual result? A lifetime of debilitating ankle pain and instability. A fully functional ankle is an essential requirement for any sort of life that isn’t completely sedentary. But ankle sprains do happen. And read more »

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We all know the negative effects of smoking… Yes, we all know that smoking is highly related to various cancers, increases the chances of stroke and heart attack, and even causes wrinkles. What you might not realize, however, is that smoking can affect the way our bones heal. This means that if you are a smoker and break a bone, read more »

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