Foot and Ankle Doctor Blog Space

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Kim Kardashian Has Psoriasis

Kim Kardashian has publicly announced on her reality TV show, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” that she suffers from psoriasis, a genetic skin condition.

Psoriasis forms dry red patches covered with thick silvery scales that can be itchy and sometimes painful. These patches are commonly found on the elbows, knees and soles of the feet. Picking at the silvery scales leads to pin point bleeding a classic hallmark of psoriasis known as an Ausptiz’s sign.

Psoriasis of the feet can be painful and sometimes misdiagnosed as a plantar wart. Our doctors at Foot & Ankle Doctors, Inc. can correctly diagnose you with psoriasis by taking a small sample of the affected area for testing. Complications of psoriasis include psoriatic arthritis that commonly affects the small joints of the feet. Psoriasis cannot be cured, however mild cases can be treated with topical creams, and more severe cases can be controlled with oral medication.

 

Dr. Dardashti

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Podiatrists Preventing Falls

Fall related injuries are a serious burden on the public health system. More than a third of older adults fall each year and injuries can result in fractures, head traumas, decreased function and loss of independence in the elderly. Podiatrists can help reduce fall related injuries by evaluating your gait (the way you walk), your strength and your balance.

 

Dr. Dardashti stresses the importance of finding the right shoes. When selecting shoes he evaluates the heel height, sole slip resistance, sole flexion point (does the shoe bend in the correct area), sole hardness and sole thickness. Finding the right shoe increases support when walking thus boosting confidence and decreasing the fear of falling. Custom orthotics can also improve balance and support by evenly distributing pressure and forces, realigning the body in a more anatomically correct position that improves stability and reduces the likelihood of falling.

 

Muscle weakness can reduce flexibility and balance contributing the falls. For these patients Dr. Dardashti recommends braces and AFO’s (ankle foot orthotics). It’s crucial to stretch the muscles of the leg, foot and toes to improve strength, balance and proprioception. The specialists at the Foot & Ankle Doctors, Inc can provide you with simple stretches you can perform at home to improve your strength and balance.

 

Certain foot problems are risk factors for falls that can be addressed by podiatrists such as lower extremity muscle weakness, limited ankle motion, foot deformities like bunions, toe deformities such as hammertoes and calluses. It’s important to see your podiatrist regularly to address any of these risk factors.

Dr. David Dardashti

 

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War with my wart..

Plantar warts are a nuisance. They are caused by a viral infection(the HPV- human papiloma virus) of the skin. They are often spread in communally shared areas such as locker rooms, swimming pools etc. They often require multiple treatments some of which can be painful. Warts can best be avoided by wearing shoes around swimming pools and locker rooms, changing your socks daily, keeping your feet clean and dry. The HPV virus enters the skin of the foot through cracks in dry skin, cuts or scrapes and thrives in moist areas. Common symptoms of a plantar wart include a small firm outgrowth that resembles a callus, pain when walking or standing or when squeezed from side to side, and or tiny black pinpoint dots. Warts are contagious so don’t pick at it. If you think you have a wart come see Dr. Nejad at the Foot & Ankle Doctors, Inc. Dr. Nejad will best select a treatment option based on the type of plantar wart you have. Plantar warts can present as a solitary wart (a single wart) that may increase in size or as a mosaic of warts – a cluster of several small warts in a local area which are often more difficult to treat. Treatment options include over the counter topical products, acid treatments and bleomycin injections.

Acid Treatments – medications with acids are applied to the wart to remove layers of it at a time. It may stimulate the body’s immune system to fight the wart once the wart is weakened. Multiple applications are commonly required

Bleomycin injection – Bleomycin is a medication that interferes with the growth of the virus destroying it over time. It is directly injected into the wart causing a blood blister to form turning black after a few weeks. The blister can either fall off or is removed by a physician. Injections may be given every 3-4 weeks until clearance is achieved.

Dr. Farshid Nejad

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Got a pump bump?

A Haglund’s deformity also known as “pump bump” is a bony enlargement at the back of the heel that becomes irritated when rubbed against the stiff heel counter of shoes. It commonly presents in women who wear high-heeled shoes (pumps) for long periods of time. The bump appears near the attachment of the Achilles tendon and becomes red and swollen. There is a fluid filled sac called a bursa that sits between the heel bone and the Achilles tendon, which becomes inflamed and very painful with constant aggravation.

Dr. Nejad first recommends taking your shoes off and resting while icing the back of your heel for 20 minutes. He also recommends placing heel pads in the back of your shoes to relieve the pressure from the area of discomfort. In most cases the shoes you are wearing is the culprit so try switching from closed back shoe to an open back shoes or shoes with a softer heel counter. If the pain persists come see Dr. Nejad at Foot & Ankle Doctors, Inc.

 

Other treatment options include shoe modifications, topical anti-inflammatory medications that can directly be applied to the heel, ultrasound treatments and steroid shots to reduce the inflammation. In some patients the Achilles tendon or heel cord is tight and can compress the bursa causing pain. Stretching exercises can reduce the tightness of the Achilles tendon and relief pressure off the bursa. Heel lifts added to the shoe can also reduce the tension from the Achilles tendon. Custom orthotics can aid in controlling abnormal motion of the foot contributing to symptoms. In more extreme cases a walking cast may be used immobilize the foot reducing pressure and allowing the inflammation to subside. If these treatment options don’t provide adequate relief, surgery may be required to remove the bony bump from the heel.

Dr. Farshid Nejad

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Feeling pins and needles in your feet?

If you experience burning, tingling, stabbing, pins-and-needles sensation in your feet, you’re not alone. This sensation is referred to as peripheral neuropathy and commonly affects diabetics. 60-70% of diabetics will develop peripheral neuropathy because they have uncontrolled blood sugars which damage nerves in the hands and feet leading to a tingling sensation and loss of feeling. Your feet may feel numb and you may loose the ability to feel temperature and pain making you more susceptible to injury, infection and burns. It is important to check your feet every day for signs of injury or infection. Many patients suffering from peripheral neuropathy are unable to sense a small pebble in their shoe and after walking on it all day long can develop a wound. It is important to wear properly fitted shoes and avoid walking barefoot. Make sure to check the temperature of the shower water before jumping in to avoid burning your feet.

There is no cure for peripheral neuropathy but there are medications that can help with the tingling sensation. Controlling blood sugar can help prevent the onset of peripheral neuropathy.

Peripheral neuropathy can also be caused by a vitamin B deficiency, certain medications, alcoholism, autoimmune diseases, infections, toxins and by many others. A herniated disk can also produce symptoms of a burning, tingling pain in the legs and feet. Come see Dr. Dardashti at Foot& Ankle Doctors, Inc for adequate diagnosis and treatment of your foot pain.

Dr. David Dardashti

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Budding Bunions

Bunions are every shoe lover’s worse nightmare. A bunion is a painful bump that forms on the joint at the base of the first or fifth toe making it difficult to wear shoes. These deformities progress over time and can be debilitating especially in runners. Overpronators are more prone to bunions because they place excessive stress on the big toe when running. This repetitive stress causes changes to the joint resulting in deviation of the toe inwards towards the other toes.

Padding and taping your foot before running can help position the foot in a more “normal” alignment and prevent abnormal stresses. Toe exercises can help strengthen the foot muscles and reduce the progression of the deformity. Physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medications can reduce the inflammation at the joint. Orthotics and proper fitted shoes with a deep and wide toe box are also recommended. If these treatment options fail or in severe cases surgical intervention is required to realign the joint and remove the bony bump on the side of the foot.

If you are concerned about your bunion come and see Dr. Nejad for a consult.

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Kevin Durant suffers from a Jones fracture

We are sad to hear that Kevin Durant is suffering from a Jones fracture. A Jones fracture is a common fracture of the 5th metatarsal (a long bone on the outside of the foot that connects to the little toe) commonly caused by an inward twisting injury of the foot.

Durant most likely experienced pain, swelling and tenderness along the outside of his foot, had difficulty walking and may have had some bruising. It was crucial that Durant was diagnosed and treated immediately because the 5th metatarsal has a poor blood supply that impedes the healing process.

Nonsurgical treatments for Durant includes resting and icing, immobilizing his foot with a cast and avoiding placing any weight on his foot. Jones fractures can take 6 weeks to heal and another 2-3 weeks of rehabilitation to build up muscle strength and range of motion.

Most professional athletes opt to treat a Jones fracture operatively with a screw or plate placed across the fracture site to avoid the possibility of delayed healing or non-unions, which are frequent with Jones fractures. It could be 8-12 weeks before Durant returns to the court if he decides to have surgery.

All of us at Foot & Ankle Doctors, Inc. are wishing Durant a speedy recovery.

 

Dr. Dardashti

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What are custom orthotics?

Custom orthotics are devices that are custom molded to your feet. They fit comfortably inside your shoes and are designed to reduce stress and strain on the feet, knees legs hips and back. Orthotics will help improve your gait making walking and running more comfortable. Orthotics will help to correct your body’s misalignments also known as “biomechanical or structural deformities.” Most people that have biomechanical deformities will develop symptoms that usually present as pain in the joints, muscles or tendons.

Think of wearing orthotics as similar to wearing eyeglasses. When you wear your glasses they help correct your sight by placing corrective lenses in front of the eyes. This helps your eyes function as close to 20/20 vision. Orthotics help the body function in a similar way by helping to restore normal biomechanical function in your feet and legs.

There are a variety of types of custom orthotics, the two main types are: functional orthotics and accommodative orthotics. Functional orthotics help re-align the feet and legs. They reduce, or control abnormal motion that may be causing pain in the foot, leg and back. Accommodative orthotics are made out of softer material and they are designed to absorb shock and reduce pressure. They are less effective in controlling abnormal motion, they simply cushion and pad ulcers, painful calluses, bony prominences and other pathologies of the foot.

If you have pain or discomfort and think you can benefit from orthotics come see Dr. Nejad or Dr. Dardashti at Foot & Ankle Doctors, Inc.

 

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The VIP’s of wound healing

According to APMA (American Podiatric Medical Association) approximately 15% of individuals with diabetes will develop an ulcer. Celebrities like Halle Berry and Tom Hanks are diabetic and it is important for them or any person with diabetes to check their feet daily and ensure they do not have any open lesions. Wound healing is slowed when you have diabetes so it is important to treat wounds promptly. There are three important factors Dr. Dardashti checks when a patient presents with a wound and they can be summarized as “VIP.”

V is for vascular, for a wound to heal you need an adequate blood supply to provide proper nutrients to the injured area in order for healing to take place

I stands for infection, an infected wound needs to be treated with antibiotics before the wound can heal itself

P stands for pressure; some wounds on the feet are in places that are constantly subjected to increased pressures when walking. This chronic pressure will cause the tissue to breakdown resulting in a wound, thus it is important to relieve pressure from a wound to allow it to properly heal.

Dr. David Dardashti

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Morning Heel Pain

Do you ever wake up and have pain in your feet after stepping out of bed? Do you have foot pain when walking barefoot? You may have a condition known as plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a long band of tissue that stretches from your heel along the length of the arch and inserts into the toes helping to support the arch of the feet. When this band of tissue becomes aggravated or strained it becomes inflamed. The inflammation of this ligament is called plantar fasciitis.

Overpronation is the most common cause of plantar fasciitis. Pronation is an inward rolling movement of the foot that naturally occurs when walking or running. When pronation occurs in excess amount it is termed overpronation, which results in excessive inward rolling, stretching and flattening of the foot resulting in increased stress on the plantar fascia. Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain in runners because they pull and stretch this band of tissue causing microscopic tearing. Overweight individuals can also experience plantar fasciitis because they put a lot of pressure and force on the band causing small tears leading to inflammation and pain. Most people with plantar fasciitis experience a stabbing pain at their heel with the first few steps it the morning, or after getting up from sitting for an extended period of time. The pain tends to get better after moving around.

If the underlying cause of plantar fasciitis is left untreated it can progress into chronic heel, knee, hip or back pain. Plantar fasciitis can be easily treated if caught early. If you experience any of these symptoms see your local podiatrist or come see us at Foot & Ankle Doctors, Inc.

 

Dr. Farshid Nejad

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