Items filtered by date: August 2016

“I was walking along the sidewalk, stepped off of a curb too hard and heard a pop.”

“I jumped to make the shot and when I came down, I felt excruciating pain.”

“I don’t remember injuring myself but now I have pain, I’m having trouble lifting my foot and my foot is bruised.”

All of these stories can be tendon injuries, often ruptures where the tendon tears across and the two ends separate due to the pull of the muscle. Although not as common as tendonitis, tendon injuries have become more frequent due to the increase in both frequency and intensity of sports in the US population. The following is a short list of possible signs and symptoms of tendon injury. You need not have experienced all of them to have a tendon injury.

• Moderate to severe pain with dynamic actions/muscle use
• Loss of strength in a particular movement, such as lifting the foot or standing on tiptoes
• Swelling, especially in a linear pattern across the foot or ankle
• A bulge, usually at the end of the tendon further from the toes
• Bruising, usually not at the site of injury but toward the bottom of the foot

To help your podiatrist diagnose and treat you, clearly explain what led to the injury. Explain the timing of the weakness in movement. Inform your doctor if you have been taking any fluoroquinolone antibiotics for an illness or been given steroid injections near the site of injury because they have been associated with tendon ruptures.

Your podiatrist may suggest that you spend time in a walking boot or you may need surgery, depending on the level of injury. Either way, you will be in good hands. Tendon injuries are not the end of activity but the beginning of a road to recovery.

Please visit our website for more information or call 614-885-3338 (FEET) to schedule an appointment with us at our Columbus or Gahanna office

We have been told since childhood that strong bones were essential to our health. We were told to drink milk and workout and eat our vegetables. However, today Americans still have high rates of Vitamin D deficiency, as high as 20% in healthy individuals and over 80% in obese, African American individuals. Vitamin D deficiency increases with age and with chronic medical conditions and can lead to the weakening of bones. In more than 20 studies it was shown that adequate Vitamin D was associated with a reduction in falls and ultimately prevention of osteoporotic fractures. Diet is partially to blame for this as most of our Vitamin D is sourced from dairy and orange juice and fortified cereals but other important sources such as fish are not eaten as frequently. It is commonly known that osteoporotic bone leaves an individual susceptible to hip fractures, but other complications can include ankle fractures, muscle weakness and healing complications involving surgical fixation of bone. Women are affected at nearly double the rate of men and increased age plays a role in the development.

Protecting your bones is possible and the following recommendations will help you save your feet and ankles from a future of instability and fragility.

• Eat fish (cod, tuna, salmon, swordfish), fortified orange juice, dairy, and eggs as part of a healthy diet
• Maintain a body weight as close as possible to the healthy range for your height
• Spend 15-20 minutes outside in the sun daily
• Talk to your doctor about Vitamin D supplementation, which improves levels in nearly 65% of individuals
• If there is a risk of Vitamin D deficiency (former/current smokers, those with malabsorption such as celiac patients, those with liver disease, and those on anticonvulsants), see your doctor for Vitamin D screening
• Perform daily strength, resistance and weight bearing exercises to maintain strong bone architecture

Your bones have to last as long as you do. The more you can do to improve Vitamin D levels and bone structure, the stronger your hips, ankles, and the bones in your feet will be as you age.

Please visit our website for more information or call 614-885-3338 (FEET) to schedule an appointment with us at our Columbus or Gahanna office