Have you ever thought about how crucial your big toe is? It plays a significant role in stabilizing your foot and maintaining your balance. Given its importance, it’s no surprise that this toe can encounter a variety of issues. One...
When you look at this toe deformity, you'll notice it bent upward at the middle joint, with the end of the toe starting to angle downward, resembling a hammer! If you have a flexible hammer toe, the good news is...
The human foot, a marvel of design. Is not impervious to the occasional twist, leading to the development of hammer toe – a prevalent condition observed in podiatry. Imagine toes that were once dutifully aligned deciding to take on a...
Conservative care options for toe dislocations and poorly aligned toes It never ceases to amaze me how many people come into my office with different shapes and sizes of toes. Why do our toes change over time? What are the...
When a podiatrist speaks about the 1st ray, the 1st ray refers to the first metatarsal bone and the great toe. The 1st ray has a unique range of motion that requires plantarflexion of the first metatarsal to enable dorsiflexion...
Wounds of the lower extremity have a host of different contributing causes, but in diabetic patients, the vast majority of wounds occur as a result of loss of protective sensation. Protective sensation is the ability to feel pain. Diabetic peripheral...
For well over a year, we've worked tirelessly to create a product that will target specific regions of the foot to correct Hallux problems and alleviate big toe pain. It needed to be thin enough material to fit into most...
The term mallet finger fracture describes an avulsion fracture of the top of the finger, just behind the fingernail. Mallet finger fractures are the result of forced flexion of the finger while the long extensor tendon resists the flexion. If...
Painful interdigital callus – treatment options Callus is a direct response to friction. When callus appears between the toes, it is often a sign that the friction is directly related to a bone spur on one or more adjacent toes....
Instructions for use of Just For Toenails Enhanced Nail Polish Just For Toenails Enhanced Nail Polish is fortified with tea tree oil (melaleuca altenifolia) which is known for its antibacterial and antifungal properties. When applied on a regular basis, Just...
As Patrick Mahomes trains for The Super Bowl, a carbon fiber technology is there to assist in healing Twenty five year old Patrick Mahomes has lead The Kansas City Chiefs through an exciting year and is scheduled to the meet...
Tips for selecting the best hammer toe pad for your needs The term hammer toe is used to describe how the tip of the toe hammers against the ground with each step. As the attached image shows, hammer toes come...
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....
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...
What is a sprained toe and how is it treated? Head coach of the Houston Rockets, Mike D’Antoni announced last night that former MVP James Harden, starting guard for the team, would be forced to sit out in today’s game...
What is a sesamoid fracture and how is it treated? A sesamoid bone is a small bone found on the bottom (plantar surface) of the great toe joint. Each sesamoid bone is about the size of a pinto bean. The...
Tailor’s bunions - the 3-in-one problem The term tailor's bunion (also called a bunionette) comes from a by-gone day when tailors would sit cross-legged on the floor putting up a hem on a skirt or coat. Chronic pressure on the...
Is it possible to have gout following a joint replacement? Gouty arthritis is a significant contributing factor to degenerative change in joints, leading to joint pain and often the need for joint replacement. Gout is a common crystal-induced form of...
Overlapping toes - causes and treatment Ronnie on our sales team asked me to talk a bit about overlapping toes. Overlapping toes are a problem that increases with age, although overlapping toes can be found even in infants. What causes...
What is a Morton's Extension? Thomas George Morton (1835-1903) was a clinical professor and surgeon at The Pennsylvania Hospital. He was an active surgeon during The Civil War and founding director of several hospitals in the Philadelphia area. As a...
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...
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...
Can hallux limitus be treated without surgery? In many cases it can, particularly if you know what stage of hallux limitus that you are currently in. It's best to check with your doctor and obtain a set of x-rays. Once you know waht stage you are, then you can pick the most appropriate orthotic for your needs.
What's a hammer toe and how are they treated? This article looks at crest pads. Crest pads are hammer toe pads used to treat sores on the tips of the toes.
Painful hallux limitus can be managed with the use of insoles, but an understanding of the staging of hallux limitus is important to understand which insole to use. This article discusses staging of hallux limitus and orthotic selection.
What makes a good bunion pad? That all depends. You can choose from gel, foam, flet and a number of different loops and cushions. sounds like bunion comfort is on the way.
Will a bunion regulator correct your bunion? Bunion regulators are intended to be used as a night splint (non-ambulatory splint). Used in conjunction with day-time bunion pads, bunion regulators can significantly decrease bunion pain.
What's a mallet toe? learn more about this unique kind of hammer toe and how to treat it.
When treating claw toes, what's a better choice; a toe straightener or a crest pad? This article discusses the pros and cons of each of these hammer toe pads and the indications of their use.
Claw toes and mallet toes are both forms hammer toes. How do you know what pad treats each kind of hammer toe? This article explores the differences in these toe problems and how each are conservatively treated.
What are the best products used to treat a bunion and overlapping second toe? This article takes a look at this common bunion complication and how to best treat it.
Why does a second toe overlap a bunion? This common complication is explained in this post.
Hammer toe products come in all kinds of shapes and materials (foam, felt, gel, etc). What is the bet hammer toe pad for your needs? This article explores the various hammer toe pads available on Myfootshop.com.
Hammer toes often have problems isolated to the tip of the toe. Problems include callus and pain. How do you treat these tip-of-the-toe problems? This post explores the use of hammer toe splints, crest pads and toe caps.
What's the best pad for your sore hammer toes? That depends to a great degree on the location of the problem that you are trying to treat. Is the toe sore on the top of the toe, the tip of the toe or between the toes? Let's take a closer look at hammer toe products based upon how they treat the top, the tip or between the toes
I had a unique opportunity this morning to perform a bunionectomy on two different patients. What was unique was that both of these patients had previously undergone correction of their bunion on their other foot. So both were back for a second go 'round to take care of the other foot. It's an honor when I can earn the opportunity to perform a patient's second surgery.
Why do we often see a soft, interdigital corn between the 4th and 5th toes in conjunction with a tailor's bunion? This article explores the onset and treatment options for these conditions.
What's the best orthotic for hallux limitus? There's a lot of choices. This article explores the different inserts and orthotics used to treat hallux limitus.
Can a spring plate be used to treat a bunion? In some cases, yes. This article explores the use of carbon fiber spring plates in the treatment of dorsal bunions.
When it comes to treating hallux limitus and hallux rigidus, I’ve been an implant guy for years. Implant arthroplasty (Mayo-Keller bunionectomy) is simply what I learned to use in my residency training 30 years ago. In cases of stage 4 hallux limitus (HL), I’ll opt for a great toe implant over a fusion any day. My logic is that it’s simple; what I would want to have? I wouldn't want a stiff toe. I’d like to maintain the natural range of motion of my great toe joint.
A subungual exostosis is a bone spur that forms beneath the great toe nail. The spur is found equally in men and women and usually presents with an onset between the ages of 30 and 50 years of age. Diagnosis is made with a lateral x-ray of the foot that shows a pronounced bone spur on the dorsal, distal tip of the distal phalanx of the great toe.
One of the guys at work was holding a Vasyli-Dananberg Orthotic and gave me a smirk and said, What do you do with this? Opportunity was knocking at my door. We'll be talking this week at work about 1st ray mechanics and how the Vasyli-Dananberg Orthotic is used to treat hallux limitus.
In January, I wrote a series of six blog posts regarding carbon fiber orthotics, detailing the uses and applications for each of our carbon fiber inserts. In our staff meeting this week, my boss, business partner and wife gently reminded me, 'honey, you forgot to write about spring plates.' Wow, my bad. Spring plates are the single most popular carbon fiber insert we sell. Like the old Steve Martin comedy routine, all I could do was hit my forehead with the palm of my hand and say, 'I forgot!' So, here's part 7 of the original 6 part series.
So far in this series of blog posts about carbon fiber inserts, we've talked about several of the carbon fiber orthotics that we use. But to date, none of these orthotics are 'tailored'. When I say tailored, I'm referring to an orthotic that is dress out as a finished product.
Why would you choose a flat carbon graphite plate? When we first started to sell flat carbon graphite plates I didn't really see them as a very practical tool. They're primarily used to stiffen the shoe and my experience that was their sole use (what a pun, eh? sole use?). But it's been interesting how our customers have taken to them.
The molded turf toe plate is a carbon fiber turf toe plate that has a moderate arch molded into the orthotic. This differs from the flat turf toe plate that has no arch. Both have a Morton's extension beneath the great toe to limit range of motion of the great toe joint. What's the pro's and con's of each? Let's take a peak.
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?
