Footnotes, The Foot & Ankle Blog - Page 5 of 31

Ever dream of running free under a full moon, leading your pack through the wild? That sort of freedom takes four legs and four feet (or paws). Everything changed when we became a vertical species, wobbling around through life on two legs. “Like a forked radish”, said Shakespeare’s Falstaff. The human foot is a marvel of anatomical architecture And the read more »

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common orthopedic ailments in the United States. The number of patients known to have the problem is estimated to be between six and seven million. Many patients attempt to treat the problem at home prior to seeking treatment from a doctor which is fine unless the problem has been present for an extended read more »

As we mature, we learn to deal with the inevitable bumps in the road and lumps in our throat. But we’re not always ready to cope when the lumps and bumps show up on our feet. The irrational belief that a problem will go away all by itself seems to be deeply ingrained in human nature. Take, just as a read more »

Okay, so the holidays are over, or sadly your trip to Italy (yum, Italy!). And the scale tells you that you’ve put way more effort into eating than exercising. What to do? Certainly, many of us try to lose the extra pounds by exercising more or perhaps by trying out new workout regimens. And that is when we learn that read more »

When your car starts making scary noises, one tempting response is to turn up the radio. Ignore it, give it some time, it will probably go away, right? Unfortunately, this response will often leave you calling a tow truck for a problem that could have been readily fixed, if it had only received prompt attention. The same principle applies to read more »

Like most parts of a newborn’s body, your infant’s feet are undeveloped at her time of birth. As she grows and learns to walk, the soft, pliable tissue that structures her feet will solidify into bony tissue in a process known as ossification. Her feet will continue to grow and develop well into her late teens. You can help your read more »

“Fit to be tied” means being so angry or agitated as to need restraint, but with a little semantic license, it could also describe a pair of shoes that fit so well they’re ready to lace up and wear out the door. The point is, proper shoe fit is more important than most people realize. If you don’t spend the read more »

We’re all aware that being obese, or even just overweight, elevates the risk of incurring all sorts of negative conditions. The effects of obesity on the body include hypertension leading to heart conditions and other cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, cancer, sleep apnea, hernias, and respiratory problems. About 34% of the adult US population is obese, while 68% is overweight. It’s read more »

What’s Charcot Foot? Charcot foot (also known as “Neuropathic Arthopathy“) is when your foot starts to “soften.” This happens because of a progressive degeneration of the weight bearing joints of the foot. This is the bones in the foot weakening. It occurs in people who have significant nerve damage (neuropathy), most often those who are diabetic. It has been reported read more »

What’s an Os Trigonum? An os trigonum is a non-utilitarian piece of bone that usually rests peacefully at the back of some peoples’ feet. Ordinarily, an os trigonum is a harmless anomaly. However, if you punt a football, kick a soccer ball, swim using a butterfly kick, or go en pointe as a ballet dancer, that little hunk of bone read more »