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.

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.

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.

When planning your summer trip flying out of the Port Columbus International Airport or any other airports, you may want to keep your flip flops and sandals packed until you have arrived at your vacation destination. As airport security has intensified over the past years, flight passengers have been forced to sacrifice their shoes at security in the name of safer flights. While this practice may make for smoother travels, it can make things rough on your feet!

In the winter, taking off shoes at the airport is less problematic because most people, or at least those coming from colder areas like Ohio, often have socks on to offer some foot protection. In the summer however, taking off your sandals to walk in bare feet through security where thousands of other barefoot people walk every day can leave you exposed to catching a foot fungus or warts. Because a wart is caused by a form of an infectious virus, any place that a person with a wart has walked without shoes or socks and shed tiny skin cells, can potentially spread the virus to other bare feet.

Warts can easily be mistaken for a corn or callus, because all three can appear as a thickened area of skin where the foot makes contact with the ground. Warts often are painful when pressure is placed on them, which can make walking or standing comfortably nearly impossible. The color of a wart can vary with gray and brown being more common, and a dark center is often visible. The core area of a wart can also bleed, making their transmission to a person walking barefoot at the airport even more likely. Warts are a very aggressive virus that can often seem to disappear, only to reappear shortly after. While there are many old wives tales of duct tape and other remedies that will supposedly get rid of a wart, the best treatment can most easily be found by meeting with your podiatrist. Depending on the severity of the wart, treatment options can vary from a prescription ointment to utilizing laser cautery. Taking steps to avoid warts in the first place by simply wearing sneakers and socks on your summer travels to the airport may be the best option there is to keep your feet healthy!

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.

Tennis enthusiasts at the Wickertree Tennis Club and Raquet Club of Columbus, as well as fans around the world are currently enjoying one of the biggest tennis tournaments of the year, the Championships at Wimbledon. It is always interesting to follow the previous year’s champions to see how they will do. It is even more interesting when last year’s champion is Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who is widely recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

This past Monday, June 27 in the 4^th round of Wimbledon, Nadal began having what appeared to be some very intense heel pain. Nadal had trainers called onto the court twice to check where the pain was located around the back and sides of his heel. Luckily, he was able to play through his pain to win and continue on to Friday’s match which he also won, beating out Andy Murray. Although the injury has not yet been definitely diagnosed, Nadal is taking a risk to play out his last few games at Wimbledon before taking an already scheduled vacation.

Heel pain can be debilitating to any athlete, especially for one playing at as a high level as Nadal. The most common cause of heel pain on the bottom of the foot in athletes is called plantar fasciitis, or heel spur syndrome. The plantar fascia is a thick connective tissue deep on the bottom, or plantar surface of the foot, that connects the heel bone, or calcaneus to the ball of the foot. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the plantar fascia has too much tension put on it and begins to pull at its attachment point on the heel bone, causing pain. Pain associated with plantar fasciitis is often worse in the morning, when the individual first steps out of bed. Individuals who overpronate, or have flat feet are at a greater risk for plantar fasciitis because of the extra tension placed on the plantar fascia when the arch is flattened and elongated. Ultrasound can be helpful in diagnosing plantar fasciitis versus other causes of plantar heel pain such as a loss of the fat pad under the heel or a nerve entrapment. If the diagnosis is plantar fasciitis, it can often be treated non-surgically. More conservative methods that may be used include icing, rest, custom orthotics to relieve plantar fascia tension cause by overpronation, night splints and stretching. If pain persists, many cases have been successfully treated by similarly non-invasive extracorporeal shock wave therapy.

Although Nadal will have to work through his pain at Wimbledon, at least his injury at this point is not severe enough to force him to drop out altogether. The promise of long break to rest your feet and get the best treatment and relief from pain in the near future can be a great motivator for anyone to make it through a tough time!

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.

Earlier this week, Victoria Beckham, otherwise known as “Posh Spice”, gave birth to her fourth child. After having three boys and one girl with husband David Beckham, Posh has been reported to be saying that her family is now complete and that she will not be having any more children. Victoria also developed some painful bunions and back pain in this last pregnancy, making the thought of going through another 9 months of being with-child even less enticing.

Many women may not be aware of the possibility of developing a bunion or other foot problems during pregnancy. Bunions are typically related to hallux abducto valgus, which is a condition where the top of the 1^stmetatarsal, which forms the base of the big toe, angles towards the other toes. This causes the first metatarsal to protrude out towards the middle of the foot at the joint at the base of the big toe, often resulting in an inflamed bony or soft tissue outgrowth that is called a bunion. Pain and irritation then occur when the bunion is under pressure and friction from a shoe. Being flat footed, or overpronating often increases the likelihood that an individual will develop a bunion.

In pregnant women, ligaments and soft tissues need to become more relaxed so that the baby will be able to fit out during birth. The body naturally takes care of this by beginning to secrete a hormone called Relaxin that has proteases and collegenases to loosen up proteins and collagen fibers that would normally be taught. It is believed that this hormone also contributes to the relaxation of foot ligaments and structures. So while the foot ligaments are looser, more support may be required to maintain the normal anatomical position of foot bones and ligaments. Wearing a stable, supportive type of shoe is best to maintain balance and foot health to avoid deformities when additional pressures are being placed on the feet during pregnancy. Victoria Beckham may have caused her bunions to become more painful by continuing to wear the sky-high stilettos that she is known for during her pregnancy. Along with wearing sensible shoes or athletic sneakers, taking time to elevate the feet and legs can help decrease swelling in pregnant feet.

While conservative methods are available to lessen the pain associated with a bunion, surgery is the only way to truly cure the problem. Now that Victoria Beckham is done having children, perhaps she will talk to her podiatrist about her foot pain, and choose what the best treatment route will be for her!

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 weekend around Columbus was the 30^th annual Pride Festival. While there was a wide variety of unusual attire at this parade, shoes are one fashion accessory to choose carefully before heading out to any summer parade or festival. While the look of the shoes may be of utmost importance to many fashionistas, choosing shoes that provide comfort can make your day much more enjoyable.

Summer means more shoe options including flip flops and a variety of other sandals. Knowing which type of shoe is healthies twas a topic of a recent article on Oprah’s website and can help to make better choices when shopping for new shoes. Surprisingly, ballet flat shoes were ranked as the most dangerous type of shoe. Part of the reason for this ranking is that many people would consider a flat to be more comfortable and healthy for feet than a higher shoe and they then over-wear them. A flat has as little arch support as the similarly dangerous flip-flop, but ballet flats also put pressure on the sides of the foot, the back of the heel and the tips of the toes. Extreme lack of any arch support in flip flops or flats can lead to foot pain in individuals with flat feet or overpronation. Because they do not enclose the entire foot, flip flops can give some relief to those suffering from the pain of bunions or calluses rubbing against shoes. Both ballet flats and similarly structured flat styles of sneakers such as “Chuck Taylors” that do enclose the foot will not only aggravate these conditions on the sides of the feet and toes, but their rigid heel areas can cause a Haglund’s deformity. In this condition, a bursa over the heel bone or calcaneus becomes irritated from being rubbed against and causes pain.

Of the elevated shoes discussed in the article, stilettos were not surprisingly chosen as the most dangerous. A better choice for an occasion requiring a more formal shoe would be a wedge. If the wedge has a cork or raffia sole, it will offer more shock absorption and thus can help prevent joint damage. Wedges also offer slightly more stability than a stiletto, which can help to avoid ankle sprains. While a properly fitted athletic shoe with adequate support will often be the optimal choice for foot health, wearing them at every occasion may not always be possible. It is good to be aware and evaluate other shoe options to make healthy choices about your feet. Orthotics can also be helpful in making an uncomfortable shoe more bearable!

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.

(COLUMBUS, OH 6/22/11) Columbus Podiatry & Surgery announced today that foot and ankle specialist, Sarah Abshier, DPM, will be practicing at their Columbus, Ohio office. Dr. Abshier specializes in the surgical and non-surgical treatments of the foot and ankle, including conditions such as foot and ankle trauma, sports injuries, heel pain and bunions. She received her DPM degree at Temple University in Pennsylvania and completed her surgical residency program at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Dayton. Dr. Abshier is trained in forefoot surgery, as well as reconstructive foot and ankle surgery.

; to common foot problems such as general foot pain, ankle pain, neuropathy, plantar fasciitis, nail fungus, athletes foot, bunions, plantar warts and ingrown toenails. In an effort to teach others about preventative foot and ankle care, Dr. Abshier has provided many presentations and educational videos.

At Columbus Podiatry & Surgery, Dr. Bhatia and Dr. Abshier believe that a doctor and patient become a team throughout treatment and recovery. They want patients to be informed about podiatric problems and treatments, because informed patients make better decisions about their health and well being. “I look forward to seeing you in our office. Hopefully, I can give you the same support and treatment that my doctors were always able to give me. And I look forward to having you leave with a smile.” says Dr. Abshier.

Columbus Podiatry & Surgery offers a number of advanced services beneficial to the community. To name a few, they offer Digital X-Ray, Ultrasound, Vascular Diagnostic Testing, Electromagnetic Neurovascular Therapy, Digital Gait Scan, Custom Orthotics and a Laser for Nail Fungus. The PinPointe FootLaser offers a pain free option to treating nail fungus. The Laser has been proven to be more successful than topical agents and safer than oral medications.

Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is under the direction of Animesh (Andy) Bhatia, D.P.M., C.W.S. Dr. Bhatia is a licensed practicing Podiatrist in the state of Ohio. He has had extensive training in wound care and is Board Certified as a Certified Wound Specialist (C.W.S). Dr. Bhatia hopes, “The Surgical Suite in a pleasant new office environment helps ensure that patients have the best possible treatment experience at Columbus Podiatry & Surgery.”

The podiatrists at Columbus Podiatry & Surgery are proud to provide a wealth of patient education materials online at www.ColumbusFoot.com. If you or a loved one is suffering from foot or ankle pain and would like to visit a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio; please call 614-885-FEET (3338). Appointments can also be scheduled through www.ColumbusFoot.com/appointment.

This past Wednesday, June 1, National Running Day was celebrating by runners of all levels across the country. Only a few minutes from the office here at Columbus Podiatry and Surgery, there were meetings in both Worthington and Dublin, Ohio to have an extra celebratory run and train for upcoming races.

All runners out there know that foot and leg soreness and sometimes pain can go along with running, but when pain becomes an aggravation to the runner, they need to contact their podiatrist to prevent more serious issues from developing. One of the most common athletic injuries seen in both the foot bones and shin bone, or tibia is a stress fracture. Stress fractures are a small crack in the surface of the bone caused by overuse. Running is a common trigger for this type of injury because the repetitive motion of each stride on the foot can allow too much pressure to be absorbed by an area of bone. This results in a fracture that can often be difficult to conclusively diagnose without taking an x-ray or bone scan. By obtaining an image of the bone through one of these methods, a stress fracture in the shin can often be differentiated from an even more common, but less serious running injury called a shin splint. In a shin splint, the bone itself is not damaged, but the area of muscle attachments on the bone has become irritated and painful.

Runners should take measures, not only on National Running Day, but everyday to try to prevent stress fractures. Properly fitting, supportive running shoes are a key to prevention. Gradually building up your training and adding on miles slowly also can help in avoiding both stress fractures and shin splints. If even with these measures you begin to feel a persistent, localized pain in your foot or leg, a stress fracture could be the culprit. Taking recovery time from sports and icing the area can often help to lessen or alleviate more minor causes of pains. If pain continues, it is important to remember that the earlier a stress fracture is diagnosed; the quicker the recovery will be and the better the chances are that it can be treated without surgery. By taking proper care of feet and visiting a podiatrist at the first signs of injury, runners can limit what they often despise more than anything else: having to take time off from running!!

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.

It is that perfect time of summer to head from Columbus, Ohio to the nearby beach at Alum Creek State Park, or your favorite local pool. While you may be looking great in your new bathing suit, you want your feet to also look healthy when your toes are on display for everyone to see.

If your toes are not the translucent, shiny nails that you would want to see, and are instead are becoming thickened, and discolored this could be a sign that you have developed a fungus in your toenails. The nails will become brittle, flaky and chalky and the nail discoloration can range from yellow to brown or even black if the fungus developed after a nail was bruised.

Especially in the summer, prevention is critical to avoiding a toenail fungus. A toenail fungus can initially be picked up as Athlete’s foot or a foot fungus on the skin, before it invades the nails. Fungus can be transmitted from skin cells that have been shed, which naturally occurs from both healthy and unhealthy skin. Fungus also thrives growing in places that are damp, dark and warm. Based off of these ways that a nail fungus is transmitted, it is important to keep you feet dry and clean and avoid being barefoot in wet areas where many other people are barefoot, including locker rooms, pools, and water parks.

While some fungal infections can often be treated with over the counter creams, fungal toenails require seeing a physician for treatment that will actually get rid of the fungus before it becomes painful. Because nails grow relatively slowly and to cure toenail fungus you want to make sure it is completely gone, prescription oral medications typically require being taken for at least 12 weeks, with some medications requiring even longer. While often helpful in clearing up toenail fungus, patients should know that there are some possibly serious risks involved with taking an oral antifungal medication, including liver and kidney problems. There is also a more recent FDA approved, less risky and less time-consuming way to treat toenail fungus called the Pinpointe Foot Laser. Utilizing the Pinpointe Foot Laser to remove fungus from a toenail is painless, takes only 30-40 minutes and has no health restrictions or adverse side effects. Whatever treatment option you choose, it is important to take care of your toes and call your podiatrist at the first sign of abnormal changes to keep your toenails healthy and ready to be shown off during summer and all year round!

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.