Displaying items by tag: foot pain

Former MLB player Kevin Youkilis went international when he was contracted to play with Japanese team the Rakuten Golden Eagles. However, after contending with chronic plantar fasciitis, Youkilis was forced to make an early leave. Youkilis was signed a deal to play afull season, but as his symptoms progressed Youkilis had to make treatment his number one priority.

 "It was definitely a unique experience," Youkilis said, who remains positive in spite of his setback. "It was fun being in a different culture, learning a new language.” Youkilis returned to the states to make a guest appearance for the Red Sox’s anniversary celebration in Fenway Park. 

Plantar fasciitis can be painful and debilitating. If you have foot or ankle pain, visit podiatrist Sharon L. Pletcher, DPM of Family Foot Center. Dr. Pletcher can treat your foot and ankle needs with professionalism and care.  

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis refers to heel and arch pain caused by an inflammation of the connective tissues on the bottom of the foot.

What Causes Plantar Fasciitis?

• Ill-fitting shoes
• Weight change
• Excessive running
• Non-supportive shoes
• Overpronation

How Can It Be Treated?

• Conservative measures – anti-inflammatories, ice packs, stretching exercises, physical therapy, orthotic devices. 
• Shockwave therapy – sends sound waves to the areas where pain is experience.  Requires multiple sessions.  This is used for very persistent cases of plantar fasciitis. 
• Ultrasound-guided technique with steroid injections into the plantar fascia.  This is from a relatively new and small study, but was shown to be effective in most cases treated.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office located in State College, PA. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot and ankle injuries.

Read more about Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is a foot problem affecting the plantar fascia, a connective tissue in the heel. This condition is treatable, but in many cases can take up to a year to be effective.

Conventional treatments have included exercises, rest, arch supports, and night splints. If this proves to be ineffective, many patients undergo shockwave therapy. In shockwave therapy, sound waves are directed to the area where pain is experienced. This therapy can be affective, but is somewhat painful, and calls for several sessions. Even still, shockwave therapy does not always alleviate the pain caused by plantar fasciitis.

Luca M. Sconfienza, M.D., from the University of Genoa in Italy, conducted the study. The new treatment involves an ultrasound-guided technique with a steroid injection to the plantar fascia. It is a one-time outpatient procedure involving a small amount of anesthesia. This technique, known as dry-needling, causes small amounts of bleeding that aid in healing the fascia.

It was discovered that 42 of the 44 patients involved in the study had their symptoms disappear entirely within three weeks. “This therapy is quicker, easier, less painful, and less expensive than shockwave therapy” Dr. Sconfienza stated. “In cases of mild plantar fasciitis, patients should first try non-invasive solutions before any other treatments. But when pain becomes annoying and affects the activities of daily living, dry-needling with steroid injection is a viable option," she added.

The branch of medicine that is focused on the treatment, diagnosis, and study of disorders of the lower leg, ankle and foot is referred to as podiatry. Because people often spend a great deal of their time on their feet, many problems in this area can occur. A person seeks help from the field of podiatry when they need treatment for heel spurs, bunions, arch problems, deformities, ingrown toenails, corns, foot and ankle problems, infections, and problems with the foot that are related to diabetes and additional diseases.

To treat problems of the foot, ankle or lower leg, a podiatrist may prescribe physical therapy, drugs, perform surgery on lower extremity fractures. Individuals may also be recommended to wear corrective shoe inserts, custom-made shoes, plaster casts and strappings in order to correct deformities.

When trying to gather information on a patient problem, a scanner or force plate may be used in order to design orthotics. During this procedure, patients are told to walk across a plate that is connected to a computer; the computer then takes a scan of the foot and indicates weight distribution and pressure points. The computer readouts will give the podiatrist information to help them determine the correct treatment plans.

Diagnosis is also provided through laboratory tests and x-rays. Through the foot, the first signs of serious problems such as heart disease, diabetes and arthritis can show up. For example, individuals that have diabetes may frequently have problems such as infections and foot ulcers because they experience poor circulation in the foot area. A podiatrist can then have consultations with patients when symptoms arise and referrals will be made to specialists that handle the greater health problems.

Some podiatrists have their own solo small private practices or clinics where they have a small staff and administrative personnel but many work within group practices. They usually spend time performing surgery in ambulatory surgical centers or hospitals or visiting patients in nursing homes. They typically spend between 30 to 60 hours of week working. Some podiatrists specialize in public health, orthopedics, surgery, or primary care. Some other fields include specialties in geriatrics, dermatology, pediatrics, diabetic foot care and sports medicine.

Some podiatrist specialists complete extra training in the area of foot and ankle reconstruction that result from the effects of physical trauma or diabetes. There are also surgeons that perform surgery of a cosmetic nature to correct bunions and hammertoes. 

Women have been wearing various kinds of high-heels for hundreds of years, mostly for aesthetic reasons. Shoes with heels make their wearer appear to be taller and to have longer and thinner legs, and change the wearer’s gait and posture. High-heels’ association with femininity have kept them popular over the years, but there are definite health problems caused by wearing high-heels too frequently.

High heels also limit the motion of the ankle joints as well when they are worn. The ankle is a very important joint in the body when it comes to walking. These joints have a great deal of weight put on them because of their location. This is why it is so important to keep them as healthy as possible. The main tendon in the ankle is the Achilles tendon. Studies have shown that wearing high heels often causes the calf muscle and Achilles tendon to shorten, and stiffens the Achilles tendon as well, which can cause problems when shoes without heels are worn.

By forcing the toes into a small toe box, and putting a great deal of pressure on the ball of the foot, high-heels can cause or worsen many foot problems, such as corns, hammertoe, bunions, Morton’s neuroma and plantar fasciitis. 

Wearing high-heels regularly, especially very high ones, can have long term negative effects on many other parts of the body, as well as the feet. One of the most important joints in the entire body, the knees, can be affected by wearing high heels. Wearing high heels causes the knees to stay bent at all times. It also causes them to bend slightly inward as well. Many doctors believe that constantly walking like this is the reason that women are so much more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis later in life. High-heels also cause increased stress on the knees by limiting the natural motion of the foot during walking.

The back may also be negatively affected by high heels because this shoe style causes the back to go out of alignment. This affects the spine’s ability to absorb shock, and can cause continued pain in the back if high heels are worn constantly. High-heels also compress the vertebrae of the lower back, and can cause overuse of the muscles in the lower back.

This is not to say that high heels should never be worn. They will not cause serious problems if they are worn only occasionally. However, they should not be worn every day in order to avoid long term physical health problems to the feet, knees, ankles and back.

U.S. Army lieutenants pulled together a research study to try and help minimize the number of running injuries sustained among soldiers. The lieutenants attempted to correlate the force being used by runners when they hit the ground and the amount of injuries sustained depending on how much impact the force was made.

In order to hold this study, the military gathered 1027 men and women serving in the Army. These subjects were monitored as researchers examined their record of injuries while observing their running techniques. The study would ultimately come to the conclusion that the amount of force used while running had no relationship to any injuries suffered by the runners.

Running injuries can happen, especially without proper precaution. If you hurt your foot or ankle, see podiatrist Sharon L. Pletcher, DPM of Family Foot Center. Dr. Pletcher can treat your foot and ankle injuries.

How to Prevent Running Injuries

Many common running injuries are caused by overuse and overtraining. When the back of the kneecap starts wearing out and starts causing pain in your knee, this is commonly referred to as runner’s knee. Runner’s knee is a decrease in strength in your quadriceps and can occur if you’re not wearing properly fitted or supporting shoes. Runner’s knee usually is treated with strengthening exercises focusing on the quad muscles and sports orthotic. To prevent runner’s knee, focusing on hip strengthening is a good idea, as well as strengthening your quads to keep the kneecaps aligned. Physical therapy can help you learn the best exercises to heal runner’s knee.

What Are Some Causes of Running Injuries?

- One cause of a common running injury is called iliotibial band syndrome.
- Plantar fasciitis is also another common injury.
- Stress fractures can occur from overtraining, lack of calcium, or even your running style.

Best Ways to Prevent Running Injuries

- Wear footwear that fits properly and suits your running needs.
- Running shoes are the only protective gear that runners have to safeguard them from injury.
- Make a training schedule. Adding strengthening exercises as well as regular stretching can help

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office located in State College, PA. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot and ankle injuries.

Read more about Preventing Running Injuries

NBA player Devin Harris has admitted that he was unsure of returning to the game after undergoing a particularly tough rehabilitation process. The Dallas Maverick underwent surgery on the second metatarsal in his left foot. As a result, he wound up in quite the long recovery period. Harris’ rehabilitation time span took longer due to a stress fracture he developed in the third metatarsal in the left foot towards the end of 2013.

“It’s been a long road since the summer,” said Harris, who had to change the mechanics of how he ran. “We’ve had a lot of things happen, but I stayed positive and worked hard and obviously we’re in a good situation now.”

Sometimes foot and ankle injuries require rehabilitation.  If your foot or ankle is injured, consult podiatrist Sharon L. Pletcher, DPM of Family Foot Center. Dr. Pletcher can treat your podiatric needs.

Foot Therapy for Sports

People who are constantly on their feet are prone to a variety of injuries. Therefore, it is important to take part in physical therapy in order to get back on the right track quickly.

What to do when injured

Physical Therapy – This specialized treatment will focus on the affected area, speeding up recovery and the overall healing process. This is important for those wanting to get back into the game quickly. It is a proven method that has helped millions of people return from any injury.

During physical therapy you will undergo regimented training to get back into full form. Training is often very difficult, especially at first when the foot feels weak. These are some steps physical therapy often involves:

1. Basic stretching & twisting exercises – getting the feet’s mobility and flexibility up.
2. Massaging – the therapist will massage the injured area in order to activate and relax the muscles.
3. Strengthening Exercises – this allows the muscles in the affected area to regain their full strength, a vital step towards full recovery.

With the advancements in technology and greater knowledge of how muscles and joints work, physical therapists can turn things around dramatically.    

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office located in State College, PA. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot and ankle injuries.

Read more about Foot Therapy

Whether out on the field or on the courts, in practice or in game, athletes put their bodies through great strain. There are some sports that are more demanding and taxing on the body than others, but the fact is that every sport has an element of unnatural motion or inorganic movement. Take baseball for example. A pitcher winds up and flings their body with incredible amounts of torque in order to get the most possible velocity out of their pitches. This motion is incredibly taxing on the body and can cause serious damage to people.

Yet one of the most salient issues with regards to athletic injuries is with the feet. Whether its simple turf toe, which can leave athletes sidelined for months, or a damaging fracture, foot injuries can be very frustrating. No matter the sport, athletes need to use their feet in some fashion. This is why foot therapies are so important in order to get athletes back on the right track and training again.

No matter the injury, the best way to expedite a convalescence period is to receive physical therapy. Physical therapy is an empirically founded practice that has been proven to work for millions of people. Physical therapists have gone through years of schooling specifically so that that they are able to help people return to form from any injury.

During physical therapy for foot injuries, you will go through regimented training in order to get back to form. Sometimes the training can be very difficult, especially in the beginning when the foot feels awkward, almost like you may have forgotten how to use it. At first you will do basic stretching and twisting exercises in order to get the foot mobility and flexibility back up. The therapist will also massage the injured area in order to activate the muscles as well as to relax them. Over time, however, you will eventually move up to strengthening exercises. These exercises will be designed specifically so that activation of the injured area is ensured. These exercises are extremely important so that the foot regains its strength and mobility.

Foot therapy for sports is a miracle in modern science. Although devoid of fancy chemicals and terminology, therapy is an evidence based practice that is just as intelligent and well designed as any other. Because of huge advancements with regards to knowledge surrounding how muscles and joints work, physical therapists are able to turn catastrophic injuries around so that athletes can get back on their feet again. 

The Iowa State University Cyclones started their spring debut by obtaining a series of wins with the help of sophomore Ciara Capezio. Capezio was on a recovery period from foot surgery in order to correct Morton’s Neuroma. She was able to return even though coaches were initially uncertain due to her condition.

Capezio went on to lead her team to a series of victories against Nebraska-Kearney, Nebraska-Omaha, and Northern Iowa. “Our offense — when we were in-system, when the ball was to center — was really, really good,” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch.

Foot and ankle conditions sometimes require surgery in order to be healed. If you are contending with podiatric-related issues, see podiatrist Sharon L. Pletcher, DPM of Family Foot Center. Dr. Pletcher can help determine the right procedure and treatment for your needs.

When Is Surgery Necessary?

Foot and ankle surgery is generally reserved for cases in which less invasive, conservative procedures have failed to help with the problem. Some of the cases in which surgery may be necessary are:

- Removing foot deformities like bone spurs and bunions

- Severe arthritis that has caused bone issues

- Reconstruction to attend injuries caused by accidents or malformations

What Types of Surgery Are There?

The type of surgery you receive will be dependent on the nature of the problem you have. Some of the possible surgeries include:

- Bunionectomy for painful bunions

- Surgical fusion for realignment of bones

- Nerve removal for painful nerve endings

Benefits of Surgery

Although surgery is usually a last resort, when it is undertaken, if can provide more complete pain relief than before, and may allow you to finally resume full activity.

Surgical techniques have also become increasingly sophisticated. Such techniques like endoscopic surgery allow for smaller incisions and faster recovery times.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office located in State College, PA. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot and ankle injuries.

Read more about Foot Surgery

Foot surgery may be necessary for a variety of reasons, but it is normally reserved for cases in which less invasive procedures have failed to help with the problem. Cases in which surgery may be deemed necessary include, but are not limited to, surgically removing deformities of the foot (such as bone spurs and bunions), problems with arthritis that have caused severe bone issues within the foot, and reconstruction to attend to injuries caused by accidents and congenital malformation (such as club foot and flat feet). Foot surgery may be necessary for individuals of all ages and races.

If you find yourself in need of foot surgery, the reason why the surgery has been found to be necessary will dictate exactly what kind of surgery you need. If you have to have a growth, such as a bunion, removed, then you may undergo a bunionectomy. If your bones need to be realigned and fused together, then you may undergo a surgical fusion of the foot. If it is nerve pain and problems that you are enduring, then you may need to undergo surgery in which the tissue that surrounds the painful nerve is surgically removed. Normally other, less serious treatments are first applied when a problem is discovered, but if those treatments are found to be ineffective, surgical techniques are considered and used.

Even though surgery of the foot is usually reserved as a last resort by most physicians, there are some benefits if you and your doctor choose to use surgery to fix the problem. The first is that the pain associated with the issue is normally relieved, which means that you can finally resume the activities your foot problem was preventing you from participating in. The second benefit is that, once you have the surgery completed, the problem is generally eliminated since it has finally been addressed.

History of podiatry has shown that foot surgery techniques continue to advance every year. Endoscopic surgery is just one of the many advancements that have been made in the field of foot surgery. As technology improves, foot surgical techniques will also continue to improve. Many procedures can now be completed using a very small incision and smaller, more refined instruments. Because of these better tools, surgeries are becoming less invasive, and recovery time has become a great deal shorter. Shorter recovery periods mean that you will be back on your feet in no time.

84 year old Roselle Hartsfield is blessed with a large family. The East Orange resident is not only a mother of seven, but is also a grandmother to fifteen and even a great-grandmother to seven. Unfortunately, Hartsfield has been struggling with the effects diabetes since her 50’s, suffering many complications along the way.

“I have glaucoma in my eyes and two years ago, two of my toes got so badly infected that I had to go into a hyperbaric chamber for 39 days to avoid amputation,” she said. Although in modern days there have been many advances in diabetic care, diabetics need to do their part in monitoring their health. Well aware of the risks, Hartsfield fears the possibility of undergoing amputation or worse. 

Diabetics need to monitor their condition. If you suffer from diabetes, visit podiatrist Sharon L. Pletcher, DPM of Family Foot Center. Dr. Pletcher can treat your diabetic feet, and provide general care to your foot and ankle.   

Diabetic Foot Care

Diabetes affects millions of people of all ages each year. Diabetes damages blood vessels in many parts of the body, including the feet. When damage occurs to nerves in the feet, they may be unable to send the proper signals to the peripheral nervous system, resulting in a condition known as neuropathy. Once a diabetic patient develops neuropathy, it is imperative that the feet are well taken care of to avoid possible amputation of the feet.

The Importance of Caring for Your Feet

- Regularly check your feet for bruises or sores.
- Wear socks that fit your feet; socks shouldn’t be tight.
- Wear properly fitting shoes that are comfortable.

Patients with diabetes should have their doctor monitor their Hemoglobin A1C levels as this test lets the physician know how well the blood sugar levels have been controlled during the past 3 months. It is important to keep the blood sugar levels in a normal range (70-110mg/dl). It is advisable to visit a podiatrist if the diabetic patient is experiencing any conditions involving the feet.

For more information about Diabetic Foot Care, follow the link below.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office located in State College, PA. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot and ankle injuries.

Read more about Diabetic Foot Care