Blog posts of '2014' 'January'

Let's start the conversation with the flat carbon fiber turf toe plate. A turf toe plate is an oddly shaped insert that has an extension that protrudes beneath the great toe joint. This extension, called a Morton's extension, is designed to limit the range of motion of the great toe joint. Why would we want to limit the range of motion of the great to joint?

Felt is probably not the best choice of metatarsal pad for someone who wants to wear the pad directly on the foot and take a shower. Felt is water absorbent and would remain damp for a few hours after a shower. The visual image I had was of a row of felt metatarsal pads on the clothes line, each with a clothes pin. Nah, poor choice.

The history of dental hygiene is actually an interesting story. At the onset of the 20th century, dental hygiene was virtually non-existent. A green stick was used to scrape only the most obvious of plaque and toothpaste was scoffed. Toothpaste recipes that included burnt bread, pulverized brick and chalk were used as abrasives. But it wasn't until the brilliant Dr. Washington Sheffield of Connecticut discovered that if you put mint into the toothpaste, people actually enjoyed using it (what a concept, right?)

Bone edema is the term used by doctors (radiologists) to describe swelling within bone. Bone swelling is typically identified on MRI and is the result of either a direct injury to bone or load bearing that is greater than what can be sustained by the bone (stress injuries). Bone edema can also be found secondary to an inflammatory injury of bone. Inflammatory injuries include various forms of infection or arthritis.

This week was my week to see cases of psoriasis. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder that is manifested by the rapid turn over of skin cells resulting in disruption of normal skin production. There are 5 different classifications of psoriasis based on their appearance. The two most common that we see in foot care are plaque and pustular psoriasis.