Footnotes, The Foot & Ankle Blog - Page 3 of 34

The field of podiatric medicine is not renowned for an abundance of conflict. There is a great deal of podiatric progress, of course, as new procedures, materials, and techniques are discovered, developed, and incorporated into the leading podiatric practices. But significant disputes over substantial matters are relatively rare among podiatrists. This article concerns what may be the most significant conflict in read more »

It’s summertime in the age of COVID-19 and confusion is rampant. As an example, take going to the beach. A trip to the shore used to be a simple and joyous event. Simple? No longer. Joyous? Perhaps. Many beaches are completely closed. Some beaches are open, but their parking lots are closed. Some beaches are open, and their parking lots are accessible, read more »

Ball of Foot Pain is No Joke One of the most frequent complaints we hear from new patients is painful pressure points located on the weight-bearing surface at the ball of their forefoot. These pressure lesions can be caused by one or more of the following conditions: an abnormally positioned bone, toe deformities, or thinning of the fat pad cushioning read more »

Ever have a pleasant sleep interrupted by the overwhelming need to leap out of bed and do 20 quick laps around the room? All while trying to keep your cursing from waking up the family? Yeah, that’s the havoc foot cramps at night can wreak. Here’s some information to help restore your rest. Where does the agonizing clench of foot cramps come from? In read more »

Whether you’re an experienced runner or are new to running, it’s likely that sooner or later you will experience some form of injury. According to the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Sports Rehabilitation, between 60 and 70 percent of runners suffer from at least one serious sports injury per year.  These sports injuries can range from stress fractures of the foot bones or tibia to read more »

Some patients with more free time and fewer exercise options during the Covid-19 pandemic have been overzealous, at times, in adopting new exercise programs.Unfortunately, this has led to overuse injuries, which have become the painful downside of “quarantoning” (the new name for getting toned and working out for weight loss during quarantine). Calls began coming in during late March as read more »

The hard and rigid parts of the human structure seem to get all the attention. Like skulls, rib cages, and spinal columns. But don’t get distracted by them because ligaments are the unsung heroes of our skeletal framework. Ligaments are strong resilient bands made from a very tough material called collagen. Ligaments attach bones to bones (as differentiated from tendons, read more »

Every day in the US, 25,000 people sprain their ankle. Over the course of a year, 1 million Americans will visit the emergency room because of an ankle injury, with sprains and fractures being the most common complaint. Half these sprains are the result of athletic activity. Many of these sports-related injuries can be prevented simply by doing a few warm-up exercises before a read more »

“If the shoe fits, wear it” really applies to all of us. But when it comes to your Kids shoes, thinking you should get shoes to wear now that they will also “grow into” can be a terrible mistake. So, here is a new adage for you: “If your kid’s shoe doesn’t fit, don’t let them wear it.” Long term foot read more »

As COVID-19 continues its global sweep, new information about this pandemic continues to be discovered. The symptoms commonly attributed to COVID-19 include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills (sometimes strong enough to cause shaking), muscle pain, headache, and a sore throat. But it’s becoming more and more apparent that many of those who are hosting the COVID-19 virus remain completely asymptomatic. And asymptomatic COVID-19 hosts can be read more »