Sweaty feet tis the season!!

This time of year finds people far more active,lawn work, exercise, parties, etc. Making sure your feet are properly protected as well as treated for excessive perspiration is very important. We see an increase in the rate of viral infections {Warts}, fungal infections of the nail and skin, dry cracked feet this time of year. Moisture management of your feet with proper socks as well as daily use of antiperspirants can reduce the risk of these problems as well as to help resolve these issues. If you suffer from any of the above come on in and see us, we can not only help you resolve your current problem but also help maintain and prevent future issues!!

SHOE DRIVE SOLES FOR SOULS

I am so honored by all the patients who have made donations for shoes to benefit this cause. special thanks to Maddie Kirlin for all her effort to oversee as well as organize this massive project. Over 2000 pairs of shoes where donated!!! I am so proud of everyone helping this awesome cause. There is so much good in this world if we could just focus on that we would all be better off!!

What to do if you think you broke your toe?

People tend to underestimate injuries to their toes. If you injure your toe to the point where you are limping significantly, cannot bend toe, or have obvious deformity you should seek podiatric medical care ASAP. People think that there is nothing that can be done if your toe is broken, this is simply not the truth. If your toe is broken into the joint or deformed it must either be immobilized or put back in position ASAP. In all cases we can help you with your pain and swelling. Failure to address an injury properly can lead to chronic pain and deformity, if you think its broken come in for an Xray ASAP and get it check out so you do not suffer long term consequences!! As foot and ankles specialists we are best equipped to deal with these issues.

FLIP FLOPS & RAINBOWS

Tis the season to start wearing summer shoes. We see an increase in foot problems for those patients with plantar fasciitis, painful tendons,as well as flatfeet start to get worse as people start wearing these types of shoes for the wrong type of activity. Flip flops and rainbows are fine as limited us shoes in the foot that is not painful. Unfortunately this type of foot wear is worn too much in the summer which results in the foot and ankle not being supported properly. Further, patients who have skin conditions such as warts, athletes feet, severe cracks in heels, and other dermatitis issues tend to make these worse by wearing shoes that trap moisture in the feet which helps promote these types of conditions. No matter how hot is it we all need to wear the right shoe for the right situation. For example, when I walk, work in the yard, participate in sports I always wear good supportive shoes with my orthotics inside no matter how hot is it. The problems I see is that people spend too much time in flip flops, rainbows, and less supportive shoes when they are trying to increase their activity. Diabetic in particular place themselves at increased risk for physical injury using these types of shoes as their foot is exposed. One such patient just came in and reported riding a bike with flip flops VERY DANGEROUS!! My advise is if you are going to use flip flops or rainbows do plan on walking more than 30 minutes at a time in these types of shoes, avoid rough terrain, wet spots where you could slip and fall. Remember these are limited use type shoes they where not meant to be your primary foot wear all day long all summer long!

Pedicures

I get asked almost daily what I think about pedicures. I try to be reasonable in my approach. Patients with Diabetes or poor circulation in their feet should not be seen by a pedicurist in my opinion. The risk of infection is too great. Any patient with disease in their nails or ingrown nails should not be treated by a pedicurist, in fact only a licensed physician is legally allowed to treat these conditions. If a patient or pedicurist feels that a disease process or pathology exists then a physician should be consulted. As far as painting toenails I understand that our culture is for this but as a specialist of the foot and ankle who sees what can happen to toenails that are constantly painted I recommend that moderation be considered. I am not saying never except for the instances noted above, but if you are going to get your nails painted do it but do not leave nail polish on for more than two weeks at a time. Remember fungus, mold, and yeast infections love a hot warm moist environment so there is nothing more attractive to an infecting organism!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Over the past week I cannot help but to notice the birds activity, they are churpping like crazy. For the next six months we will experience more daylight than any other time of the year. This will put birds and humans into full days of activity. We here at Gaston Foot and Ankle experience more foot problems related to these activities. People tend to spring into action but often with the wrong shoes. Remember, your shoes should be appropriate for your activity. Yes it is going to be warm then hot but flip flops and sandals all day long will lead to numerous painful foot conditions. Injuries will rise so when they do remember to seek treatment early for the best resolution otherwise an acute problem can become chronic.

Invest in your health

As I was riding to work today I could not help but to be amazed at the story about obesity in children in the USA on NPR. We must model what we want for our children. Recommendations are one hour of exercise per day!! When was the last time that we as parents followed that ourselves as parents? We put more effort and time into everything else that money can buy. Your best investment of time and money is do adopt an exercise program that includes doing something EVERY day of the week not just once in a while. When I exercise, my daughters tend to copy me!! Try it. It is the best gift you can give your children. If we fail to tackle obesity in this country we will be consumed with debt due to the complications of chronic disease, many of which are exacerbated or caused by obesity. We may have a foot or ankle injury that is preventing us from doing a particular exercise. I always provide alternative exercise suggestions to allow my patients to be active while simultaneously healing their foot and ankle issues!! Remember, there is always something you CAN do. Think about that rather than thinking about what you cannot do!!