UFAI Blog: All our posts about With Audio

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

“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 »

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 »