What’s good about a vape device? Nothing really - let me explain. As a doctor you find out that conversation is the primary key to making a diagnosis. In the medical world we may call it the history, but I...
The position of the heel can have a significant influence on the biomechanics of the foot. Rearfoot varus describes the position of the heel bone (calcaneus) when the heels are turning in towards each other. To use a simple stick...
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a well known complication of diabetes affecting 50% of all diabetic patients. The symptoms of DPN are sensory but can also affect the motor skills of diabetic patients. We’ve always referred DPN as a peripheral...
Necrobiosis Lipoidica Diabeticorm Necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum (NLD) is a granulomatous skin disease found in diabetic patients. The prevalence of NLD is quite rare being found in less than 0.3% of all diabetics.(1) Fifty percent of all diabetic patients with NLD...
What is toe spring and how does it help forefoot and midfoot pain Walking is often described as a controlled forward fall. As your body passes over the foot, resistance is supplied by the calf that limits forward progression of...
Managing foot wounds in the decompensated patient. One of the greatest challenges in foot care is wound prevention and wound management. Wounds come in all shapes and sizes, but there’s always one common denominator in wound care; a decompensated patient....
Strip down, lace up and go. Recreational running is just about you and your shoes. The simplistic beauty of running is about you and your shoes. Strip down, lace up and go is what allows you to sneak in a...
Standard precautions – what are they and how do they affect our return to an open society Ask any health care worker what standard precautions are and you’ll get the same answer; treat every patient as if they are infected....
Does a smaller incision make for a better bunionectomy? Minimal incision surgery (MIS) has improved the surgical outcomes of many types of surgery. For example, in laproscopic surgery a minimal incision approach has a number of short term benefits including...
A meta-analysis of contemporary non-academic and academic literature related to the skin condition called COVID toe. Viral infections are often known to be associated with distinctive skin rashes. It is not uncommon to see skin rashes cases of viral pneumonia...
Nails, corns and calluses? Instructions to take care of them at home. Professional foot care was a common healthcare service provided by nurses and podiatrists until the onset of COVID-19 and stay-at-home provisions. Routine foot care is the term used...
First round draft choice Zion Williamson, who plays for the New Orleans Pelicans, was recently sidelined with an injury described as a toe sprain. Although the 19 year old starter described the injury as “no big deal”, it did side...
APP patient guidelines, anatomy images x-rays and more One of my roles as a hospital based podiatrist is mid-level provider oversight. Our hospital utilizes both PA’s and NP’s to see the majority of patients in our orthopedics and wound care...
First, it was the four-minute mile. Who could possibly run a mile in under four minutes? That record was broken by Sir Roger Bannister in 1954. And this month another record was broken – the 2-hour marathon. In this extraordinary...
Walking, sunshine and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Walking – how could something so simple be so effective? Robert Roy Britt in his Medium article entitled The Case for Walking – small steps yield big benefits, focuses on studies that prove that...
Part 3 - Treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy Objective - Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is the most common complication of both type 1 (T2DM) and type 2 (T2DM) diabetes. Diabetes causes a number of different neuropathic complications to include sympathetic and...
Part 2 - Examination guidelines for physicians and midlevel providers Objectives In part 1 of this three-part blog on the treatment of patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) we discussed the economic impact of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, the pathophysiology of...
Part 1 – Background of diabetic peripheral neuropathy Objectives Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is the most common complication of both type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 (T2DM) diabetes. Diabetes causes a number of different neuropathic complications to include sympathetic and parasympathetic...
Long term oral antibiotic treatment for patients with recurrent lower leg cellulitis Edema of the lower leg frequently contributes to a superficial infection of the skin called cellulitis. Cellulitis can often be treated, but if swelling persists, cellulitis will become...
Differential diagnosis for unilateral, left leg edema I saw a 53-year-old female today for left ankle pain and chronic left leg swelling. The swelling was pitting, meaning that with digital pressure to the skin, when you pull away, your finger...
Foot and ankle educational resources for patients A how-to guide for providers – using the Myfootshop.com foot and ankle knowledge base As a health care provider, how can you use Myfootshop.com’s foot and ankle knowledge base to benefit your patients?...
Foot drop – trauma and treatment Contusion of the common peroneal nerve resulting in foot drop I saw an interesting case of post-trauma foot drop (peroneal palsy) this week. The patient was a 24 y/o female who described falling against...
How risky is it to stop Coumadin prior to elective foot surgery? Anticoagulation therapy is used for a number of conditions including atrial fibrillation, history of deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and vascular implants and in cases of clotting disorders that...
How do stress risers affect bone healing and fractures? The image to the right is one of those moments where my wife just shakes her head. We were driving through northern New Mexico when I pulled over to the side...
Lessons learned from a foot surgeon undergoing foot surgery - One of the factors that motivated me to go into podiatry as a young man was, in fact, a bit personal. Being born with bilateral club feet, I felt I...
Is passive, personal neglect a form of suicide? One of my jobs in lower extremity health is limb salvage. I had completed a forefoot amputation on a patient several weeks ago for osteomyelitis (bone infection). In the course of recovery,...
When it comes to falls – “I’m the winner!” I was speaking with an older patient and his wife and touched on the topic of home safety and falls. The patient has Parkinson’s disease and is particularly at risk for...
How has internal fixation changed our thinking about cast disease? Immobilization is one of the primary tenants of injury management. But prolonged immobilization can result in problems. Cast disease describes the problems associated with immobilization of an injury with rigid...
More questions for an old vascular test I was at a wound care conference several weeks ago and got into a conversation with a colleague regarding ABI testing. ABI stands for ankle brachial index, sometimes also called an ankle brachial...
Music in the OR? What’s the mood in an OR? A lot of times, the mood in an operating room is set by the choice of music played during a surgical case. Some surgeons are classical buffs. Others show tunes....
DMEs – a $300 dollar hammer? Durable medical goods are items that your doctor would often dispense from his or her office. In other cases, durable medical goods might be purchased from a home health supply company. Examples of durable...
New carbon fiber insole from America's leading supplier of carbon fiber foot plates. We’ve been looking for some time for a carbon fiber foot plate that is less expensive yet strong enough to provide support and toe spring. We’ve finally...
Google calls them Micro Moments - We call them Medical Micro Moments – great opportunities for medical education. You know the scenario – you go to the doctor and you get your diagnosis. It all made sense while you were...
Foot anatomy – them bones them bones One of the more popular tools on Myfootshop.com is our vast foot and ankle knowledge base. In addition to articles on common foot and ankle conditions, we also have an entire section on...
Opioid Addiction Stories – being on the front line of managing patients with opioid addiction Opioid and heroin addiction is unfortunately all too common, and this addiction is mean. It changes people in a way that is almost incomprehensible. In...
Can a Lateral Sole Wedge Insert be worn with a Prescription Orthotic? Lateral Sole Wedge Inserts are used and recommended to limit supination of the foot. Excessive supination leads to biomechanical overload of the medial knee making patients prone to...
Levers, rockers and carbon graphite insoles Part 3 – Putting it all together In part 1 of this conversation I presented a common customer question: can I wear just one carbon fiber insole? I briefly discussed gait and how a...
How do carbon graphite insoles affect gait? Part 1 – Legs and levers A common question that we hear from customers is whether a carbon graphite shoe insole can be used as a single shoe solution or should they purchase...
Toe Walking Toe walking describes gait in which the heel may only partially touch the ground. Toe walking is most common in young, early walkers between the ages of 1 and 5 years of age. Let’s take a look at...
What Causes Leg Length Discrepancy Leg length discrepancy describes a variation in the length of one leg compared to the other. Leg length discrepancy can be functional or structural. Let’s take a closer look at each of these definitions of...
Understanding the anatomy of the foot and ankle Many of our customers who follow this blog and subscribe to our newsletter are in the medical profession. We hear from home health nurses, wound care professionals, students, and physicians. One of...
What's the best way to treat leg length discrepancy? This article explores what kinds of heel lifts can be placed in shoes to address varying leg length deformities.
Lateral Sole Wedges are a simple way to treat medial knee arthritis. The International Journal of Preventative Medicine calls Lateral Sole Wedges, 'simple, inexpensive therapy for decreasing knee pain and improving life.'
Lateral Sole Wedges are a unique yet simple way to treat mild lateral ankle instability, peroneal tendinitis and peroneal tendon subluxation.
Every doctor who works with a geriatric population knows that when the falls begin, the geriatric patient is entering the final stages of his or her life. Falls in the geriatric population are difficult to heal for a number of reasons but can be prevented with some simple steps. This article outlines 5 steps that can be taken to prevent falls.
You've invested in a great pair of shoes. The left foot fits like a glove but the right seems a bit loose and the heel slips. What can you do to make the shoe fit just right? The tool used by custom shoes stores is called a tongue pad.
Posterior shin splints describes tendinitis of the posterior tibial muscle and tendon. The posterior tibial muscle and tendon originate in the lower leg, deep to the calf muscle. What causes posterior shin splints? This article explores the onset and treatment options for this painful form of ankle pain.
Anterior shin splints are the most common form of shin splints. Pain is specific to the middle to distal 1/3 of the lower leg and found on the anterior, medial aspect of the tibia (shin bone). This location on the shin corresponds to the origin of the tibialis anterior muscle. This article explores the onset and treatment options for shin splints.
The Carbon Fiber Shoe Plate is used to stiffen shoes. Indications for Flat Carbon Shoe Plate include midfoot arthritis, midfoot fractures and metatarsal stress fracture. Learn more in this article about the indications and uses of the Carbon Fiber Shoe Plate Flat.
