Items filtered by date: August 2011

On Sunday August 21, Columbus, OH fans of the Cincinnati Bengals will have to travel all the way to New York City to see their team play the New York Jets. The trip may be worth it to witness a Bengals win, which the odds are improved for by the fact that the Jet’s first string running back, Shonn Greene will be on the bench for the game. Shonn Greene is not playing because team doctors recently caught the start of a skin infection in his foot and are now giving him time to recover while he takes antibiotics.

While many people may think that skin infections of the foot only occur in people with diabetes, the elderly, or others with a compromised immune system, Shonn Greene shows that even a professional athlete at his peak level of health and fitness needs to watch for signs of infection in the foot and ankle. Shonn was receiving a local anesthetic to have a callus removed by the Jet’s team doctor when he pointed out another area of his foot that had been bothering him. He was lucky for the callus bringing him in the presence of medical experts who were able to diagnose the painful area as a low grade skin infection. For Shonn, increased pain was the first sign of an infectious process occurring. As infection progresses, other common signs to watch for include: swelling, redness, tenderness, heat, and red streaks extending from the affected area. Because his infection was caught early on, the Jets have made a statement that his infection is responding well to treatment and antibiotics. Shonn’s infection also brought to mind for many teams, the importance of a clean training and locker room. While the Jets believe that this was not the source of the infection, athletes must take extra care to keep their feet clean and dry. Wearing shower shoes or flip flops when walking in moist areas where many other bare feet have walked such as locker rooms and public showers is also a good measure to avoid Athlete’s foot.

A foot infection can spread quickly to become much more serious than just pain and swelling on the surface of the foot. If allowed to progress, infections can reach the blood and bone, leading to osteomyelitis (a bone infection) or even worse can spread in the blood throughout the body leading to a bacteremia (blood infection) with systemic shock and possibly death. Luckily, Shonn and hopefully anyone else with a suspicious wound or area of pain on their foot know to talk to an experienced podiatrist and get help immediately! Prompt treatment of an infection can stop the infection before it gets to a more severe stage.

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.

While parents of kids in the Olentangy and Dublin City school districts around our offices at Columbus Podiatry & Surgery prepare for back to school, there is one item that is sure to make every child’s wish list for starting the fall looking their best: new shoes. While getting the best price and shoes that look “cool” for your kids are certainly factors when making a purchase, the health of your child’s feet need to be priority number one.

One of the most important parts for a child’s shoe is to make sure that the shoe fits correctly. Because feet grow so quickly, it is very important to have both feet measured every time new shoes are purchased as a child is still developing. Most stores selling children’s shoes have what is called a Brannock device that not only measures the length of the foot from heel to toe, but also the width of the foot and the length of the foot from the heel to the ball, which is actually the most important determinant in foot size. Once the foot size is measured, this provides a general guide to what shoe size to try. Foot size and shoe size may not always be the same because different shoe companies’ sizes may vary. Check to make sure the toes are not hitting the front of the toe box and that the ball, or widest part of the foot, lines up with the widest part of the shoe. These simple measures can prevent painful foot problems for your child such as black toenails and calluses. A properly fitting shoe also allows bones that are still growing and ossifying to develop in the correct position and prevent foot and ankle deformities. More problematic feet may require orthotics or braces and a shoe with laces versus a slip-on should then be selected to accommodate these devices.

Hand me downs and online purchasing for back to school shoes may seem like an enticing idea to any bargain hunter; however these practices should also be generally avoided. Hand me downs can be problematic not only because of the possibility of foot fungus spreading, but also because the cushioned insole portion of the shoe tends to mold to the shape of the foot of the initial wearer. When a younger sibling or other hand me down shoe “receiver” then wears the shoes, they will not mold to their foot shape and may lack support and cushioning in areas where it is needed. Online shoe shopping does not provide the opportunity to make sure that shoes fit appropriately on a foot that may have grown a size or two since the last shoe purchase; so make sure the retailer has a good return policy just in case!

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.

Although 2011 was not the year for an Ohio student to take home the win at the National Geographic World Championships, the event was certainly very exciting for all students participating from around the globe. The championships were made even more interesting this year when host Alex Trebek of Jeopardy hosting fame limped in to the set with a torn Achilles and a wild story of how he sustained the injury.

At 2:30 a.m. the previous night, a woman broke into Trebek’s hotel room and supposedly attempted to steal $650 and a bracelet of Trebek’s that his mother had given him. What happened next would deter anyone from messing with the game show host’s belongings again! Trebek awoke to his door being open and immediately began to chase the burglar! Although the thief was eventually caught and charged with burglary, Trebek unfortunately ruptured or ripped his Achilles tendon in the heat of the chase.

The Achilles tendon is the largest and also the most commonly ruptured tendon in the body. The Achilles connects your calf muscles to the back of your heel and is crucial for normal walking and almost every other athletic activity. Overuse of the calf muscles, a sudden increase in physical activity especially after a period of rest or inappropriate shoe gear can lead to Achilles tendonitis or a ruptured Achilles. Serious Achilles tendonitis can occur for an extended period of time leaving the tendon irritated and making a rupture more likely. With tendinitis, the heel pain comes and goes or may be chronically located in the same spot, pain is often noted during or a few hours after athletic activities, and ankle stiffness will decrease as the tendon warms up during use. These symptoms and onset are different from the ruptured Achilles that Trebek suffered which is a more acute injury, resulting in the tendon quickly being severed. The onset of severe heel pain is more immediate with a substantial amount of swelling often being present. Trebek’s rupture likely occurred due to his sudden change from inactivity of the leg muscles while sleeping to a full out sprint trying to catch the thief.

Because the Achilles is such an important tendon in the body, it is important to talk to your podiatrist about how to keep it healthy. Many people have stiff calf muscles that lack flexibility and can increase the likelihood of Achilles injury. When the calves are too tight, the foot is unable to lift off enough to clear the ground during normal walking and the feet are forced to use other means to compensate. One of the ways of compensating is by overpronating, which can lead to a group of other foot problems including the development of flat feet. Regular stretching is one way to increase flexibility and care for your Achilles.

Trebek has now undergone Achilles surgery to repair his tear and hopefully will not have to chase down any criminals any time soon while he recovers!

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.

This past Sunday, the city of Columbus began working with the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance’s program to say “NOT ME” to diabetes. As diabetes has become an epidemic in, programs such as “Not Me” are an important way to increase awareness about diabetes prevention and control. The program involves a lifestyle coaching program to counsel those who are at risk for diabetes on making healthier choices involving diet and exercise.

While this program provides useful information on how to take small steps towards a healthier life, it does not directly address how to prevent one of the scariest complications of diabetes: amputation. Diabetic individuals need to regularly see a podiatrist in order to receive proper foot care, keep a close watch on any changes in foot health that may indicate underlying pathological conditions, and to learn how to properly care for their feet on a day-to-day basis. Diabetic patients should select podiatrists who are known for their excellence in diabetic wound care, such as those at the Columbus Podiatry and Surgery wound clinics located in both Dublin, OH and Columbus, OH.

All diabetic patients should be educated on how to properly perform a self foot exam as one of the most important preventative measures to take to preventing major problems with the foot and ankle. Overall skin health, adequate blood supply, and appropriately functioning nerves allowing for touch and pain sensation in the foot are three of the most important areas of the self exam. While it may seem like a good thing to not feel pain in your feet, it is actually a very dangerous consequence of nerve problems from diabetes. Without the ability to feel pain, you would not be able to tell when tissue is being injured or destroyed in the foot. Catching a small lesion before it develops into a non-healing diabetic ulcer is when self-exams and regular check-ups at the podiatrist can be a real limb-saver. When lack of sensation is detected in areas of the foot, accommodative orthotics can be helpful in areas that can easily become irritated. An accommodative orthotic for a diabetic patient is used to take pressure off and protect an area of irritation that could, unbeknownst to the diabetic unable to sense pain, develop into a dangerous wound.

A custom-made accommodative orthotic is just one aspect of diabetic wound care and healthy preventative measures that a skilled podiatrist may need to utilize to avoid amputation for their patient. Hopefully, with programs such as “Not Me!” and the work of all of the best podiatrists in the Columbus & Dublin, OH the diabetes epidemic will be slowed as people become more aware of healthy choices for their bodies and their feet to avoid serious complications or even the initial diagnosis of diabetes!

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.

With the heat wave striking Columbus and much of the country this past week, many people may be sweating a bit more than usual. However, for some people, this excessive sweating can continue to occur regardless of whether there are record high temperatures, or it is a snowy day in January. This is a condition called hyperhidrosis, which is actually an inherited medical condition that results in increased sweating.

The feet are one of the most common areas that show an increase in sweat, along with the armpits and palms of the hands. Sweaty feet from hyperhidrosis or just from high temperatures may not be as prominently on display to others as the palms or armpits, but they can lead to a variety of other problems. Sweaty feet may cause embarrassment if the feet produce an unnatural odor as a result. This occurs because bacteria thrive in warm, dark and damp conditions and increasing dampness by sweating will serve to make the foot a more ideal habitat for bacteria to grow. The more bacteria present in these conditions, the more the foot will smell. A more serious side effect is that fungus also thrives growing in these conditions, making a sweaty foot more likely to develop Athlete’s foot or a foot fungus. If red, patchy, itchy areas of skin develop it is important to get your feet evaluated by a podiatrist. If you do have a foot fungus, the more quickly it can be treated the less likely it will spread to the toenails or other areas of skin. Fungal toenails are often more resistant to topical creams than a skin fungus, and may require the use of a quick laser fungal nails treatment or a much longer course of topical and oral medication.

For anyone with sweaty feet regardless of the cause, it is important to change socks at least once a day to avoid staying in wet socks. With sweat that has passed through socks causing shoes to be wet, it is also a good idea to alternate wearing different pairs of shoes every other day to give damp shoes a chance to dry out completely. Non-medicated baby powder or foot powder can be dusted onto feet to help keep them dry. It is also important to examine feet thoroughly for signs of infection, which can also present with a strange odor. For individuals with hyperhidrosis, topical medications can be prescribed, a procedure called iontophoresis, or even surgery are options for treatment depending on the severity and responsiveness to treatment of the excessive sweating.

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.

Although it seems far away, the November 2012 presidential election has candidates beginning to campaign near Columbus and across the country. One interesting story related to feet about a candidate over the past few weeks were reports that Michelle Bachman supposedly noticed a link between wearing high heeled shoes and having migraines.

While this may seem like a farfetched idea to those who are unfamiliar with severe headaches, it is actually very likely that not taking proper care of your feet can literally be a pain in the neck. Migraines can be severely debilitating and caused by a variety of triggers. Stress is one of the common triggers and it has been postulated that perhaps the reason Bachman linked her heels to her headaches was that she wore high heeled shoes to stressful events.

While the link to migraines is indirect, the most common type of headache called a tension headache can be directly linked to inappropriate shoe gear. A tension headache is associated with a dull, aching head pain, a feeling of tightness across your skull, and tender scalp, neck and shoulder muscles. These headaches can be so intense that they may resemble a migraine. Poor posture is a trigger of a tension headache and can be caused by wearing shoes that create or amplify an unnatural curvature of the spine. Along with high heels, other foot and ankle issues including limb length discrepancy, and lack of appropriate joint range of motion due to arthritis or limited flexibility can also cause back and neck pain.

One relatively simple fix for many of these issues that can lead to a range of upper body problems are custom made orthotics. Foot pain from arthritis can be lessened with an orthosis that limits the amount of painful motion and holds the foot in a more stable position. Most people have a small difference in length between their two legs and may unknowingly compensate by pronating, or causing the longer limb to be flat-footed to equal out the length difference. An orthotic can relieve this problematic compensation and prevent the limb length from causing pain further up the body. Intense headaches should always be discussed with your doctor. You just may end up finding that although the pain is at the top, relief can be found at the bottom – with proper foot care!

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.