Items filtered by date: January 2013

Belarusian tennis player Victoria Azarenka is the top ranked female tennis player in the world and current title holder of the 2012 Australian Open which she won last January. Her path to claiming the Open title for the second year in a row hit a road bump this week when an infected ingrown toenail forced her to withdraw from a Brisbane International semifinal match against Serena Williams just 30 minutes before the match was to begin. Azarenka says the injury is healed and is playing in the Austrailian Open this week.

Azarenka developed the ingrown toenail and subsequent infection after receiving a pedicure. At her pedicure, the toenail of her big toe was cut too short, and was jammed into the skin and soft tissue around the nail as she walked and played in her tennis shoes. When a nail grows into the skin and causes infection the condition is called “paronychia”. The skin will develop signs of infection including redness, swelling, warmth, pain and can even produce drainage. Ingrown nails can be extremely painful, which is why Azarenka underwent treatment for the condition and decided not to play at Brisbane to avoid any further complications. Other than improperly cutting the toenails, there are a variety of factors that contribute to the development of paronychia including having naturally curved toenails or onychocryptosis, improperly fit shoes that irritate the skin next to the nail, obesity, and even overpronation. If infection is not treated promptly, it can spread to the bone causing osteomyelitis or bone infection or to the blood causing sepsis.

The first step in the treatment of ingrown nails is the removal of the offending portion of nail. Your podiatrist should perform this procedure with sterile medical instruments, as attempting to remove the nail at home can further aggravate the condition by adding new bacteria to the wound or by not achieving complete removal of the necessary nail. A partial nail avulsion can be performed where the toe is numbed and a slice of nail is removed to temporarily prevent further pain and recurrence. Once infection has cleared, procedure may be performed to permanently prevent recurrence of painful ingrown toenails for those with curved toenails or who have frequently developed the condition in the past. This procedure is also performed quickly and with very little pain in your podiatrist’s office and is called a matrixectomy. A small amount of chemical is applied to the nail root to prevent its regrowth into the skin. After any of these procedures, strapping and bandaging will stop any further pain until the toe has healed. Luckily, Azarenka’s toe should be pain free and healed in time for her to defend her title at the Australian Open and hopefully she learned her lesson to be careful when choosing where to receive a pedicure in order to prevent future infections!

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885-3338 (FEET) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington.

Columbus Podiatry & Surgery has opened a new location in Gahanna, near Easton. Please call 614-476-3338 (FEET) for an appointment with a podiatrist in Gahanna, OH today.

After hectic holiday travels, shopping hurdles and trail runs in the unseasonably warm weather in Columbus lately, foot and ankle pains may begin piling up. The Achilles tendon is the largest, and one of the most injury plagued tendons in the body. Runners, weekend warriors, and athletes in almost any sport may develop any one of the many disorders that can plague the Achilles tendon at various times in their sporting career.

Achilles tendonitis often occurs at the attachment of the Achilles tendon to the back and sides of the heel bone. Pain is felt along the back of the heel and a bony bump may also be felt in the area of pain. This condition is typically caused by repetitive microtraumas that cause enough irritation to the tendon to induce its degradation. Eventually, the tendon attachment may develop calcifications that potentiate the process of irritation and further predispose to the Achilles’ rupture. Luckily, in most cases, if diagnosed before extensive calcifications have developed, Achilles tendonitis can be successfully treated without surgery. Conservative means used to treat tendonitis of the Achilles exert their effect by relieving the stress placed on the tendon and working to decrease inflammation.

A pump bump, or Haglund’s deformity may also be identified as an underlying source of chronic irritation to the Achilles tendon. This pump bump is an outgrowth of bone on the upper back portion of the heel bone that can serve as a source of microtrauma by regularly jabbing into the tendon. In cases of tendonitis with a pump bump, surgery may be needed to remove the aggravating portion of bone.

Further imaging studies, including an MRI, may be needed to achieve the most accurate diagnosis in painful Achilles disorders. A growth or tumor may develop in the tendon that can also trigger an inflammatory process. Xanthomas are a lump of cholesterol that can develop in the Achilles tendon in individuals with high cholesterol. These lumps are benign, other than possibly causing tendon irritation, but need to be diagnosed to rule out other more dangerous growths.

Athletic shoe choices may also play a role in the prevention or development of Achilles disorders. Switching from running in a stability shoe with a lot of cushion to a barefoot style shoe may aggravate an already irritated tendon by suddenly increasing tension on the tendon if the runner continues to run in a heel-to-toe fashion. However, it is believed that running in a forefoot or midfoot strike pattern in a minimalist shoe may actually help prevent Achilles irritation. Forefoot running has this effect because when a runner lands on their forefoot with each stride, the calf muscles are placed under less tension with the heel elevated instead of striking the ground first. Before making the transition to any new running shoe, be sure to talk to your podiatrist about what the impact may be on your foot and ankle.

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885-3338 (FEET) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington.

Columbus Podiatry & Surgery has opened a new location in Gahanna, near Easton. Please call 614-476-3338 (FEET) for an appointment with a podiatrist in Gahanna, OH today.

Diets, gym memberships and workouts are involved in the plan to reach New Year’s resolutions for many. Looking your best in 2013 should literally start from the ground up, not only by putting on your workout sneakers, but also by choosing what types of socks or stockings you wear on a daily basis. Socks and stockings for both men and women can be used as more than just another accessory by choosing compression socks that can help to improve both your overall health and the appearance of your feet and legs in the long run.

Compression socks have come a long way from their early origins. These socks now come in a wide variety of colors and fabrics that make them hard to distinguish from any other sock. Compression socks can be used in the treatment of venous insufficiency, where blood pools leg veins instead of being efficiently pumped back up to the heart by the leg veins. This disorder affects both men and women and can result in unsightly varicose veins and venous stasis ulcers. Other, less obvious signs of venous stasis disease include swelling of the legs and feet, corona phlebectasica or a pattern of prominent veins along one side of the foot, and dark discoloration of skin just above the ankle area. The lowest part of the legs may also develop an itchy, blistering eczema or skin rash in this condition.

Even in those who do not develop the most serious form of venous stasis, varicose veins are certainly, at the very least, a cosmetic issue that both women and men would like to avoid. Compression stockings help in both the treatment of venous insufficiency by forcing blood to flow and in the prevention of vein disease and varicose veins. When purchasing compression stockings there is some specific criteria you should look for. The compression should be graduated. This means that the socks will be the tightest at the foot and gradually decrease in pressure as you move up the leg. The amount of compression will be indicated on the package in millimeters of mercury, or as “mm Hg”. For individuals looking to prevent varicose veins and vein disease or to treat mild varicose veins and disease, 20-30 mm of Hg will be adequate. If an individual has already developed a venous ulcer, once it is healed, 40-50 mm Hg compression socks should be worn. Before deciding to purchase compression stockings, individuals should always talk to their podiatrist to see if they have any health problems, including diabetic neuropathy in the feet that would preclude the use of compression.

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885-3338 (FEET) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington.

Columbus Podiatry & Surgery has opened a new location in Gahanna, near Easton. Please call 614-476-3338 (FEET) for an appointment with a podiatrist in Gahanna, OH today.

The snowy, wet weather and chilly temperatures we have experienced in Columbus the last few weeks can lead to a variety of conditions. The extremities, and especially the feet are at risk for cold injury due to the lesser blood circulation compared to the trunk of the body.

Cold injury occurs from a combination of cell damage and decreased blood supply to the tissues. Ice crystals form in cells and the cold itself causes a disruption of the cell machinery that maintains life. Blood thickens and clogs small vessels reducing the flow of vital nutrients to tissue. Body parts with small blood vessels, usually beginning with the toes, can then develop gangrene if the condition is allowed to progress without treatment.

Some cold injuries are caused solely by the body being exposed for to an extremely low temperature for a time period longer than the body can withstand. These injuries include frost bite and types of eczema. In the above freezing temperatures around Columbus lately, frost bite is less likely to occur, but other cold injuries can develop after a previously undiagnosed disease process is exacerbated by the cooler temperatures. One condition known as pernio or chilblains looks very similar to first degree frost bite, in that the toes, feet and legs will develop bluish red patches after being chronically exposed to a cool damp environment. Cold rainy climates are where this condition is most commonly found in winter. Pernio only occurs in individuals with inherently high tone in the walls of their blood vessels in the extremities, leading to poor circulation in the feet. In individuals with normal vascular tone, pernio or chilblains would not develop. Chilblains initially presents in an acute form in which skin findings are typically only present for one week before resolving, sometimes leaving a residual area of darkened skin behind. Over time, if these acute episodes of the disease are allowed to occur repeatedly by continued cold exposure, a chronic form of chilblains can occur with swelling, ulcers and bleeding. Feet may also itch or burn in this chronic state.

The best treatment of pernio, frost bite or any other cold injury is prevention. Warm clothing with moisture wicking fabric and staying out of cold environments are the best way to avoid pernio development. Moisturizing creams or ointments can be helpful in keeping cells hydrated. If the chronic form of pernio develops with ulcers, avoiding infection and gaining skin closure of the wound will be paramount and involve regular visits with your podiatrist.

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885-3338 (FEET) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington.

Columbus Podiatry & Surgery has opened a new location in Gahanna, near Easton. Please call 614-476-3338 (FEET) for an appointment with a podiatrist in Gahanna, OH today.

While winter in Columbus is not the time of year when people are running around barefoot, the holidays can mean a veritable maze of wrapping paper, tree pine needles and ornament hooks to navigate around in stocking covered feet at parties. Stepping on a Barbie or stray Lego is usually just an “ouch” moment, but puncture wounds of the foot can lead to serious consequences.

Puncture wounds are very common foot injuries. Unfortunately, most people only contact their doctor about these wounds after signs of infection or serious illness have begun. The greater the depth of the wound, the higher the potential is for serious consequences to develop. For most superficial punctures with no signs of infection such as redness, swelling, drainage or warmth, your podiatrist will simply need to clean the injury and check and ensure no foreign bodies remain in the foot. When a foreign body remains in the tissues of the foot, the body reacts to the material and may form a wall of tissue around it called a granuloma or an inclusion cyst. Over time, the granuloma or inclusion cyst may become more irritating than the initial injury and feel as though a mass or lump has grown in the bottom of the foot. Such masses, along with the foreign body that caused them will need to be removed by your podiatrist to alleviate symptoms.

If signs of infection do appear, you should contact your podiatrist immediately. Deep wounds can reach the bone and cause an infection of the bone, or osteomyelitis. It can take days to weeks before redness, swelling, severe pain and drainage develop in osteomyelitis, and once they have appeared, the faster bone and joints are destroyed by the underlying infection. So don’t wait until 2013 to take care of any foot punctures caused by stepping on a broken ornament, holiday light or pine tree needle – the faster you receive care the better your feet will heal!

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885-3338 (FEET) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington.

Columbus Podiatry & Surgery has opened a new location in Gahanna, near Easton. Please call 614-476-3338 (FEET) for an appointment with a podiatrist in Gahanna, OH today.