Footnotes / Blog

Skin cancers of the feet have several features in common. Most are painless, and often there is a history or recurrent cracking, bleeding or ulceration. Frequently individuals discover their skin cancer after unrelated aliments near the affected sight. Some of the most common cancers of the feet are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and […]

You may have heard this term, which refers to the complete cycle of foot irritation, skin breakdown, ulceration, dead skin and bone infection that can lead to limb loss and /or the spread of infection to other parts of the body. With proper foot care, this cycle of events can be prevented of minimized.

Don’t use a heating pad or hot water bottle on your feet for any reason. Don’t use medication on your feet unless approved by your podiatrist. Don’t cross your legs while sitting, which can compress blood vessels even more. Don’t wear girdles, garters or any garment that may restrict blood flow to your feet. Don’t […]

Heel pain/Heel Spurs is usually caused by a walking stride that exerts excessive stress on the heel bone. Discomfort can also result from poorly made shoes, obesity, a stress fracture of the heel bone, bruises of the fat pad under the heel, or a disease such as rheumatism or gout. Heel spurs refer to heel […]

Ingrown nails result when the corners or sides of nails dig painfully into the skin. They are frequently caused by improper nail trimming, but also by shoe pressure, injury, fungus infection, heredity, and poor foot structure. Use toenail clippers to trim nails with a slightly rounded edge. Leave nails slightly longer than the end of […]

A fracture is a break in the bone. Fractures can be divided into two categories: traumatic fractures and stress fractures. Traumatic fractures (also called acute fractures) are caused by a direct blow or impact—like seriously stubbing your toe. Traumatic fractures can be displaced or nondisplaced. If the fracture is displaced, the bone is broken in […]

Gout (gouty arthritis) is a condition caused by a buildup of the salts of uric acid – a normal byproduct of the diet-in the joints. The big toe joint and the ankle is commonly the affected areas, possibly because it is subject to so much pressure in walking; attacks of gouty arthritis are extremely painful, […]

It’s no surprise that our feet often hurt considering that an average day of walking exerts a force on the feet that’s equal to several hundred tons. Our feet are prone to injury with the running around we do all day. Imagine driving your car and never changing your tires. Ouch! Studies show that approximately […]

Proper care of your feet and ankles is the first step in injury prevention. Stretching daily will help keep your muscles, tendons and ligaments from tightening up during your activity. A good way to prevent stress fractures is to gradually increase activity to desired level. Custom orthotics can be placed in your running shoes, cleats […]

Warts are skin growths that can appear anywhere on the foot but most commonly grow in the soles. Warts can be painful but are harmless and non-cancerous. Warts are caused by a virus that are contagious and can be spread from one person to another. Children and teenagers tend to get warts more often than […]