Items filtered by date: April 2011

After a long winter here in Columbus, all of us are ready to pack away our snow boots and bust out our sandals for spring! This may also be the time of year you notice that your feet aren’t looking quite as healthy as you thought they were. In winter many people pay less attention to the health and care of their feet simply because with heavy boots and socks on, they spend less time looking at them every day! With the end of the winter season, and the start of a very rainy spring, foot fungus may be an unpleasant surprise popping up.

Athlete’s foot, or tinea pedis and fungal nails, or tinea unguium are the two fungal infections most commonly seen in the foot. The reason that wet spring and a winter filled with boots bring on these organisms is that a fungus thrives growing in a warm, damp, dark, dirty place. These growing conditions make the inside of a sweaty boot or a damp sock from stepping in a puddle ideal for a fungus to grow. Once someone has a foot fungus, it can be transmitted to others by contact with the infected skin cells. This is why it is recommended to wear sandals in a public shower or swimming area, as everyone naturally sheds skin cells. The most important way to prevent a fungal infection is to keep your feet dry and clean, the opposite of the fungus’ growing conditions. Good ways to do this are by thoroughly drying in between the toes after bathing and changing out of dirty wet socks as soon as possible.

An infection of dermatophytes, the fungi that cause both Athlete’s foot and fungal nails, is characterized by itchy, scaly skin patches. Athlete’s foot typically is first seen in the spaces between the toes, and if not treated can spread over the entire bottom surface of the foot or also infect the nails. Fungal nails will typically appear thickened, brittle and discolored or with white spots that may spread to the entire nail being white. In some cases, a black, bruised nail can also lead to nail fungus.

Fungal treatment varies depending on the severity of the fungus, with nail fungus traditionally being more difficult to treat than Athlete’s foot. A variety of different topical creams including Tinactin, and Lamisil can be used that cause damage to the cell membrane and thus kill the fungus. Systemic drugs that you take orally are often needed in nail infections and can have a variety of adverse side effects throughout the body. Treatment of fungus can last for an extensive period of time. At Columbus Podiatry & Surgery, we offer thePinPointe Foot Laser as a preferred treatment method for toenail fungus, with no systemic effects and only about 30 minutes for a treatment.

Remember to check your feet this spring and that the best plan for a foot or toenail fungus is to avoid one in the first place by keeping your feet dry and clean

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

The local favorites, the Buckeyes have begun their spring training for the upcoming fall’s football season. Many people would have expected the Buckeye’s to be spending a little more time sulking, worrying and dealing with the controversy surrounding some of the players that has resulted in their suspension. However, it seems that the ordeal has motivated the team to work together and show everyone what they are made of this upcoming season. To start preparations, players have been working to be at their peak level of health and fitness. One example of this, has been with an offensive tackle for the Ohio State University Buckeyes. After suffering from foot pain for a good part of last season, the unnamed, OSU offensive tackle is utilizing specialized foot orthotics to keep him pain-free and on his feet this year.

While the Unnamed Ohio State Football player was not especially clear on exactly what was causing his pain, it is clear that the orthotics he was trying out last season to initially combat the pain were not as effective as he had hoped and continued to suffer for an extended number of games. While it is possible that he simply needed time off to recover from his foot injury, it is also possible that he may not have been able to get a custom foot orthotic quickly enough and was forced to use an over the counter version. While an over the counter foot orthotic may be adequate for a minor issue with mild symptoms, in many cases they do not adequately adjust the foot to fix the specific issue in the patient. There are generally two basic types of custom orthotics called accommodative and functional. An accommodative orthotic adjusts the patient’s body weight so that it is no longer distributed over a painful area and is usually made of a softer material. Accommodative orthotics are commonly used in diabetic foot care to adjust the patient’s body weight away from an area of increased friction in order to prevent development of an ulcer. Functional orthotics place the foot in a corrected position to prevent the development of pain and deformities that result from walking with an abnormal foot position. These are typically made of rigid or semi-rigid materials, depending on whether they are intended for everyday walking use, or for athletic activities. Functional orthotics are also known as “arch supports” because they frequently are used in people with flat feet who require an orthotic to create an arch and prevent their feet from pronating, or rolling inwards. The unnamed Buckeye would have greatly benefitted from a custom orthotic that had properties of both accommodative and functional orthotics last season in order to avoid pain by adjusting his body weight away from his injury, while also correcting the abnormality in foot structure that may have caused the injury in the first place.

Orthotics offer a non-invasive treatment option for many ailments including bunions, plantar fasciitis, and arthritis. When specially casted or designed to treat a patient’s specific foot problem, they can have significant pain relief and prevent future injuries and pains. Hopefully the unnamed, offensive tackle for the Ohio State Buckeyes has seen his podiatrist to get the custom foot orthotics that will allow him to help the Buckeyes football team to many victories in the Fall 2011 season!!

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

Ballroom dancing classes have experienced a jump in popularity in Columbus dance studios with the rise of “Dancing with the Stars” and other dancing programs on television. Talk show host Wendy Williams, who was a competitor on the current season, tweeted a picture of her seriously beat up looking feet before she was eliminated on that night’s show! The caption on the picture, which stated “Feet don’t fail me now!” indicates just how important foot health is in any athletic competition, especially one known for its glitzy high-heeled shoes!

Unfortunately for Wendy, her feet were apparently so painful from her bunions that she struggled with her ability to dance on the night she was eliminated. Bunions on the middle side of each foot were located in the joint at the base of her big toe, which is a typical bunion location. A bunion of the big toe, or hallux, is caused by “Hallux abducto valgus” which is basically when the tip of the big toe is angled in towards, and often overlaps the second toe, instead of lying straight as it should. This inappropriate angling of the tip of the toe causes the base of the toe to protrude out from the foot more than normal.

The protuberances caused by bunions have resulted in immense pain for Wendy because of increased pressure and friction against where the shoe would normally just firmly contact the middle side of the foot. This excessive pressure can cause the body to thicken the outer layer of skin cells as a way to protect the deeper layers of the foot. These thickenings of the skin are called corns and calluses can cause pain. Hammer toes, where the first joint in any of the small toes is bent abnormally, are also commonly seen as a consequence of bunions. Hammer toes can result in increased pressure on the top of the toe and lead to more painful corns.

There are a variety of bunion treatments as well as a variety of ways to be proactive in preventing a bunion. Wendy Williams seems to have had a bunion removal surgery, or bunionectomy, several years ago, but has failed to take appropriate preventative measures to keep the bunion from reoccurring. While bunionectomies can be extremely helpful for relieving the pain and other conditions caused by a bunion, it is important to take additional measures to get the best results from your surgery. After a surgery, physical therapy and orthotics are often suggested to keep the big toe in its proper position. For bunion prevention, before a bunion ever occurs or after bunion removal surgery, comfortable well-fitted shoes are key.

Wendy’s tendency to wear ill-fitting, pointy high heels on a regular basis and even more so with her appearance on Dancing with the Stars may have lead to an exacerbation of her bunion pain and slight re-occurrence of her bunion. Wendy should have contacted her podiatrist to take care of her bunions before it cost her her shot at the disco ball dancing trophy!

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

Diabetes is becoming more and more prevalent here in Columbus, and everywhere around the world. The day a patient is diagnosed with diabetes can feel like a life sentence of future suffering from many serious medical issues. However, a new study offers hope to diabetics who would like to avoid a life filled with complications of diabetes, surgeries, pills and potentially deadly foot ulcers.

In this new research from the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, a group of patients who have had type I diabetes for 50 or more years without any major complications were studied. To have diabetes for this long a period of time without any eye, kidney, heart or nerve problems is considered a major feat. This study group is especially impressive because at the time they were first diagnosed, many of the glucose meters and other technological and pharmaceutical advances used today to control diabetes were not available!

Were these diabetics some sort of super humans able to magically control their diabetes without any work? The answer, of course, is no. Some members of the group were found to have a gene that reduced the number of molecules called “advanced glycation end-product” or AGEs, which are created in diabetics when excess amounts of sugar, or glucose, are in their blood for long periods of time. These AGEs are what cause the nerve damage leading up to loss of sensation and eventually the diabetic foot ulcers seen and treated by podiatrists. So, while a gene reducing this molecule was helpful in preventing some of the group’s diabetic complications, the main reason found for their success in fighting diabetes was good management.

Along with managing blood glucose levels, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, regular foot checkups with a podiatrist should be a key part of every person with diabetes’ disease management plan. With these visits and self-exams of the foot in between visits, life-threatening ulcers, bone disease known as “Charcot foot” and other serious problems can be largely avoided. When examining your own feet, always be sure to check in between toes and on the bottoms of feet for any cuts, open wounds, or lesions. While something as simple as a blister may be harmless to most individuals, to someone with diabetes it could develop into a serious problem if it goes unnoticed. If sensation is lost in the foot and such a wound develops, the patient will not feel any pain and may continue to irritate the same area on a regular basis without noticing. A larger, more serious open wound may develop, providing a route for bacteria to easily gain access into the body and cause potentially deadly infections.

The goal I have for all of my diabetic patients is to strive to be a part of the elite group of people like those in the study who avoid any ulcers or other major complications from their diabetes. Making a dedicated effort to examine your feet and take other small measures along with regular visits to a podiatrist to keep feet healthy is definitely worth the benefit down the road of a long and healthy life!

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

APMA COMPONENTS IN THE NEWS

OH Podiatrist Appointed to AAPPM Board

The American Academy of Podiatric Practice Management (AAPPM) has announced the appointment of Dr. Animesh Bhatia to its board of trustees. “Dr. Bhatia has been a strong lecturer at our seminars and brings to the Academy expert knowledge on DME and wound care,” said Dr. Hal Ornstein, AAPPM Chairman. “His ability to explain proper utilization of wound care and DME integration into practices will help our members improve patient outcomes into their practices.”

http://www.podiatrym.com/pmnewsissues.cfm?pubdate=04/05/2011